The Spy and the Apprentice
by Samantha-Ives
Summary: [COMPLETE] The war has started. Sides have been chosen. But nothing is as it seems. Eyes can deceive, murderers can become heroes, and heroes...well. They become normal people. HBP SPOILERS! SSOFC, with tidbits of DMOFC and HG
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** **_Here's my take on book 7. But tread lightly friends – there might be OCC-ness that will reach up and grab you. But hey, it's my story and my Severus…er, I mean…our Severus. So if you'd rather not read, then don't. Now, on with the introduction of our hero and heroine…no, not that hero…_**

**Chapter 1- The Shadow with an Explanation**

_The person who tries to live alone will not succeed as a human being. His heart withers if it does not answer another heart. His mind shrinks away if he hears only the echoes of his own thoughts and finds no other inspiration.- Pearl S. Buck_

He stood in the shadows, watching the funeral from the eaves of the Forbidden Forest. His face was heavily lined with grief and horror at what he had done that night. All for the sake of a young man who had never wanted to become attached to the evil villain of his nightmares. Again, he cursed Narcissa for making him swear that Vow. The damnable Vow that had destroyed everything, including his beloved mentor who trusted him implicitly, who trusted him to make the sacrifice.

_Was it worth it, Albus?_ thought Severus as he watched the many witches and wizards sitting in the chairs, some weeping, some staring blankly in front of them. He saw Scrimgeour sitting next to McGonagall, glancing at his pocket watch. McGonagall was sitting silently, her head bowed. His eyes roved over the crowd and spotted other members of the Order - the werewolf and his beloved Tonks, Moody, Shacklebolt, bushes of red hair that could only be members of the Weasley clan. The students were all seated on the side closest to him. He saw the Golden Trio at the end of one row, along with the Weasley girl. Lovegood and Longbottom were sitting in the row behind them. He saw very few of his Slytherins - Zabini was in the very last row next to some younger kids who looked like first or second years.

He shook his head. _My Slytherins, _he thought morosely. He leaned against the tree next to him, crossing his arms over the black robes he wore. Eventually, the wizard standing before the crowd stopped talking and people rose to leave. Severus stood silently, watching the crowd break off into smaller groups. One group in particular caught his attention.

A dark-haired woman was talking to Lupin and Tonks. Lupin seemed to be saying something of great importance, his hands making slashing motions in the air. The woman was shaking her head. Tonks placed a hand on her shoulder, which the woman shrugged off. She turned and stalked away from the couple. Lupin made to follow her, but was restrained by Tonks's hand and a shake of her head. The dark woman pulled a hood over her head, and continued walking towards the edge of the forest.

Severus pulled out his wand and cast a hasty Disillusionment charm on himself as the woman walked straight towards where he was standing. The woman came close enough for Severus to see the glistening of tears on her face. She walked into the forest, directly past where Severus was hiding. She stopped suddenly, lifting her head and turning around. She smiled sadly.

"I know you're here," she said. "Disillusioned would be my guess. You always hated Invisibility Cloaks for some reason. I need to talk to you."

She stood still for a few seconds. She didn't flinch at all when Severus reappeared suddenly, his face impassive. He looked back at the crowd, eyes darting back and forth.

"I see your charm work is still a little splotchy," said the woman. "Your shoes were still slightly visible. Not that most people would have noticed today. You always did have problems with Disillusionment."

"Is that how you knew I was here, Samantha? My shoes?" sneered Severus as he turned to look at her, anger in his eyes.

"No," she smirked. "You're the only man I've ever met who smells like sandalwood. Besides, who else would hide in the forest at Albus Dumbledore's funeral?"

"I wasn't exactly invited to this little event," said Severus. He turned to stare at the crowd. "What is it that you wanted to speak to me about?"

"I want the truth about what happened," said Samantha. She took a step towards him. "I want to know how you of all people A.K.ed the most powerful wizard of our age after spying for the man for almost 17 years."

"Yes, you and everyone else in the Wizarding world," sneered Severus. "Why don't you go and get Potter and we'll make a _Daily Prophet_ event of it."

"Severus -"

"You know what, Samantha, even if I told you, I highly doubt you would believe me. Why don't you go back before the werewolf comes hunting you down?"

Samantha crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "I've known you since we were first years, Severus. Try me."

Severus stared at her for a moment. He checked the crowd over his shoulder and began to pace back and forth, a trembling hand held up to his thin, pale lips.

"How much do you know?" he asked, not stopping to look at her.

"Not much," admitted Samantha. "Just what Remus told me. Something about the Dark Mark being shot above the Astronomy Tower, your godson letting Death Eaters into Hogwarts through Vanishing cabinets, and Harry Potter seeing everything and being out for your blood. Although he also mentioned that Albus had been gone from Hogwarts until right before the Mark appeared, which I thought was strange."

"Yes, he and Potter were Horcrux hunting out in a cave somewhere," sneered Severus. He didn't bother elaborating any further, his anger at Albus threatening to choke him.

"They were what?" gasped Samantha. Her arms dropped to her side. "Well, I suppose the Dark Lord has had enough victims to make himself one."

Severus stopped pacing and looked at Samantha in shock. He had never even heard of Horcruxes before Albus explained this hair-brained idea. However, he wasn't about to tell her that. He continued pacing.

"Oh, no," said Severus softly, "not one. Seven. Seven Horcruxes, Sam."

Samantha's eyes widened. Seven horcruxes? It was absolutely unheard of.

"Yes, the Dark Lord never likes to be unprepared for anything," said Severus. "Potter unknowingly destroyed one four years ago, and Albus nearly died destroying another last summer. One piece resides within the Dark Lord's mutilated body, one in a locket belonging to Salazar Slytherin -"

"_THE_ Salazar Slytherin," cried Samantha. "As in founder of our House, Salazar Slytherin?"

"Are you familiar with any other Salazar Slytherins, Samantha?" asked Severus. He shook his head. "Now, as I was saying... the locket, a cup bearing the crest of Helga Hufflepuff, another in some other school relic - something belonging to Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. Although my personal leaning is towards Ravenclaw due to the fact that the only known relics of Gryffindor are sitting pretty in Albus's office."

"Bloody hell," whispered Samantha. "That's six. Where's the other?"

"Oh, yes," said Severus with a sarcastic smile. "The Dark Lord has a familiar, a large grotesque snake. Albus thinks - thought -- the Dark Lord has hidden a chunk of his essence inside his beloved Nagini."

"And Albus told you all this?" asked Samantha skeptically. "He just explained this whole theory to you?"

"Well, the Dark Lord wasn't about to expound on this to me, of all people, now was he?" hissed Severus.

"Severus, your sarcasm is unappreciated at the moment," said Samantha. She raised a hand to her temple and closed her eyes. "And you say that Potter was with Albus, looking for this one in the cave, correct?"

"Yes," said Severus, "So it's safe to assume that Albus told Potter of the others as well. He's been having private lessons with Albus all year long. The History of the Dark Lord, from what I gather - childhood, coming to Hogwarts, the after-graduation job - whatever memories Albus could find of Tom Marvolo Riddle."

"Okay," said Samantha slowly, "So that explains why Albus was out of the school when the Mark was shot off. What does dear Draco have to do with any of this?"

"Oh, this is a good story," said Severus. He chuckled as he thought about how screwed up his life had become after that day last summer. "As you know, Lucius got into a bit of trouble last year at the Department of Mysteries."

"Yes, something about a Prophecy that doesn't exist," said Samantha.

"Oh, I assure you, that prophecy does indeed exist," said Severus. "The Dark Lord only knew the first half of it thanks to yours truly. This was all before I started spying for Albus. The loyal sycophant that I was, I reported as much as I had heard. Well, the Dark Lord goes to murder the Potter boy in the hopes of outmaneuvering this Prophecy. You know that story, I'm sure, as well as my turning before Potter and Lily were killed. Well, fast forward to two years ago. A young Gryffindor finds himself in the company of a rat and a dead Hufflepuff at the end of the Triwizard Tournament. A little bone from Riddle Sr., a hand from Pettigrew and Potter's blood, and we have ourselves a resurrected Dark Lord who starts to regroup his followers. Albus sends me back to my job as a spy.

"The Dark Lord spends the entirety of the next year in the pursuit of this damn prophecy in order to hear the entire thing. He plants dreams in Potter's head via that lovely scar about the Prophecy Room. Eventually, he stumbles across the brilliant idea to lure Potter to the room by making him think he's got that mutt Sirius Black captured. Well, needless to say, it was a trap. Lucius was waiting with Bellatrix and others. Potter had brought some friends with him, and they outran and surprisingly outdueled about a dozen of the Dark Lord's finest. I had seen Potter before he left and guessed that he would run to the rescue, so I alerted Albus and some Order members. They arrived and captured some of the Death Eaters. Black was sent through the Veil by Bellatrix. Potter, in his typical cavalier fashion, chased her into the Atrium, where the Dark Lord showed up and learned that the Prophecy was gone. Albus dueled with him for a bit, but he disapparated with Bella. Lucius was sent to Azkaban, the Dark Lord was furious, and I became the Dark Lord's second-in-command." He paused, his mind sifting through various memories of the day in Umbridge's office, frantically searching the forest for Potter and the meeting with Albus after the battle.

"But why didn't Albus tell us this story? All he told us was that Guard duty was unnecessary from now on and that Sirius had been murdered in the Death Chamber at the Ministry! He never said a word about all this fighting and about Potter being involved! I thought the papers were making stuff up!"

"Albus decided that the less people who knew all the details, the better," spat Severus. "I told him that was a bad idea. I thought all the Order members should know what had happened. Turns out, no one questioned the story that Albus told. He told me not to say a word, and I assume the same went for those who actually showed up at the Ministry that night."

Samantha shook her head in exasperation at Albus's decision. If they had known all this before…

"So," continued Severus, "a month later I'm at a meeting and the Dark Lord speaks of a plan to kill Dumbledore. He tells me that he doesn't want me to do it, says my position is too valuable to be involved directly. He says he's got a younger initiate he wants to complete the task. A chance for the recruit to prove himself worthy of the Mark."

"Draco," said Samantha, the pieces falling into place a bit.

"Yes," said Severus as he continued to dig a ditch in the ground with his pacing. "I didn't know it was Draco until Narcissa shows up at my door in tears, Bellatrix in tow, and begs me to watch out for Draco and this 'task' that he had been given by the Dark Lord. She - she made me swear an Unbreakable Vow to complete the job if Draco failed."

"Oh my God," breathed Samantha, "and you took it? Knowing what would happen, you took the damn Vow, Severus?"

"What choice did I have, Sam?" shouted Severus. "Bella has never believed I returned to the Dark side completely. If I refused to take the Vow, she would have known that I wasn't loyal to the Dark Lord and would have reported me. I'd have been dead before the next morning. So I took it. I took the Vow, promising to watch out for Draco, and if he failed in his task -"

"- that you would do it," finished Samantha. "That if Draco couldn't kill Albus that you would do it for him."

"Yes," whispered Severus. "I knew Draco would fail. He doesn't have the stomach for being a Death Eater. And while he may be brilliant in Potions, he has no brains when it comes to strategy. He was bullied into it with threats against Narcissa. The boy's nothing if not loyal to his family." Severus's cloak whipped violently as he spun on his heel to change directions in pacing. "While Albus and Potter were taking trips down Memory Lane, I was trying to get Draco to tell me what he was planning. I had already told Albus about the Vow. He didn't bat an eyelid. Told me I had done the right thing in securing my position in the Inner Circle. Said he knew I would do the right thing when the time came. Sam, I spent the whole year trying to get Draco to let me help him. I thought that maybe I could somehow find a loophole in this Vow that would not end up with Albus dead. Now that I think back on it, Albus dying was unavoidable. He had suffered a Dark curse when he destroyed one of the Horcruxes. I helped to stop it from spreading entirely, but the curse was slowly and painfully killing him from the inside out. Then he went to find the locket." Here, Severus ran a shaking hand through his lank hair and exhaled loudly.

"We had had an argument earlier in the month. I told him I couldn't spy any more. Draco was barely speaking to me at all. I had no clue as to what he was planning. Several students had already been nearly killed in his half-assed attempts to kill Albus, one of them a Weasley, for Merlin's sake. Albus said that I had agreed to do this, and that I would have to keep playing the role of the Dark Lord's most trusted advisor to the very end, even if that meant killing him so that Draco wouldn't have to. He was adamant about protecting Draco… you would have thought Draco was his grandson. I was horrified. There was no way out of it, except by my dying, which Albus expressly forbade me to do. Then Albus leaves to go get the locket in the cave. All hell breaks loose. Flitwick comes running into my office screaming about Death Eaters in the castle and the Dark Mark hanging over the Tower. I couldn't disclose my true loyalties due to the fact that we needed someone to keep an eye on the Dark Lord to make sure he remained ignorant of our crusade to kill him. I stunned Flitwick and told the Granger and Lovegood girls to help him to keep them out of the way. I ran up to the Tower and saw the Order fighting off other Death Eaters along with several of Potter's friends. But Sam, when I opened that door at the top of the Tower, the man I saw was literally dying before my eyes. Draco was standing there, his wand half-raised along with Greyback and some other idiots. With Legilimency, Albus told me he had drank Dementor Essence in order to get the locket. That potion's nearly fatal in minute amounts. Albus had drunk enough to kill him on the spot. Amazingly he was still alive. If he hadn't taken Potter, he would have never made it back to the castle."

Severus took several deep breaths, trying to ease the constriction in his chest at recounting that night's events. "I knew Potter was somewhere on the Tower. He must have been under his Cloak and immobilized in some way or he would have had Draco disarmed by the time I arrived. I raised my wand and cast it. I hated Albus right then. He knew that I would have had to do it in the end. He knew! And the damn Potter brat!" Severus scoffed harshly. "The idiot came running after Draco and I, heedless of any curses that could have killed him in an instant. I stopped some of the other idiots from killing him or capturing him, but do you know how the boy repaid me? He called me a coward. Me, the man who had to betray his own soul to _murder _the man who I loved more than my own father, a coward."

Severus stopped pacing, his eyes closed, trying to keep from seeing Albus's body fly over the wall of the Tower, from seeing that sickening green light dim those sparkling blue eyes that held such hope and love - hope and love for the most undeserving person on the face of the earth. He felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around his waist.

"I'm so sorry, Severus," whispered Samantha. Her eyes welled up at the sight of tears streaming down his gaunt face. She held him as he put his arms around her and started to shake with silent sobs of grief.

"What am I supposed to do now, Sam," whispered Severus. "I can't do this without him. I can't, Sam. I can't."

"Severus Snape, you listen to me," said Samantha sternly. "You have to keep going." She placed both hands on the side of his face and forced him to look at her. "You have to keep doing what Albus wanted you to do. You can still spy for us even though he's gone. You can still get us information -"

"Samantha! No one in the Order is going to believe that any information I give them is worth believing!" said Severus, exasperated. "Every single one of them believe that I killed Albus in cold blood, that I'm a true Death Eater and betrayed them all. You should have heard them after Emmeline was killed! If Albus hadn't convinced them that I knew nothing of that attack, they would have crucified me on the spot! No one will believe me now!"

"I believe you, Severus," said Samantha quietly. Her chocolate brown eyes bore into ones of obsidian black. "I trust you, love. I have faith that you can do this."

"Samantha, I'm not going to put you in this position. You're already in danger for being an Order member. They've hunted you since graduation. Being my contact will only make matters worse." He bent his head to touch hers with his forehead. "I can't lose you, Sam."

"You're not going to lose me, Severus," said Samantha softly. "You didn't put me in this position. I _chose_ this, just like I chose you all those years ago when we were still in school and ignorant of life outside the castle walls, before the deaths and murders and Dark Marks. And I still choose you, no matter what anyone else says. You can't keep pushing me away in the hopes that I will suddenly be free from danger. The last time you tried to do that, my parents ended up dead."

Severus smiled sadly as he pressed his lips to her forehead. "That's the most annoying habit of you ladies in Slytherin House. You will do anything for the ones you love." He looked behind him and saw Lupin walking towards where they were standing. "I've got to go. If your werewolf of a cousin finds me, I won't make it to dinner alive. I'll contact you if I come across any information. Au revior, mon amour." He ran farther into the forest. Samantha heard a faint pop as Remus reached the edge of the forest.

"Sami? Sami, you in there?" called Remus, as he pushed aside some low branches.

"You know I hate it when you call me that, Remus," said Samantha as she walked forward to meet her cousin. Remus gave her a slight bow.

"What kind of cousin would I be if I didn't know that, my dear Miss Ives," said Remus. He straightened his thin frame and gave her an intense look. "Are you okay? You ran off and then you were gone for a long time."

"Yeah, I'm okay," lied Samantha, "I just needed to be by myself for a while. I didn't want to argue anymore. Not today, not here."

Remus pressed his lips together in a thin line. "Well, Nymphadora and I are going to my place for dinner. You're welcome to join us if you want."

"Umm, no thanks, Remus," answered Samantha. "I'm pretty tired from today. I think I'll just go home." She followed him past the white marble tomb and the rows and rows of empty chairs. "Did the students already catch the train?"

"Yeah, they left about 20 minutes ago," said Remus. "Harry's going to his relative's for a while, I think. Then he'll be at the Weasley's for the wedding. He was very vague about after that. Said something about going on a trip with Ron and Hermione."

Samantha's steps faltered ever so slightly. Potter was going after the Horcruxes. Did he already destroy the locket?

"Oh, I see," said Samantha, thinking quickly. "You know, I've never been properly introduced to young Mr. Potter. I would love to meet him sometime."

"I think we can arrange that," said Remus with a wink. "I'll try and get him to visit and have you both over for dinner or something, what do you say?"

"Sounds wonderful. Oh, looks like your beloved is waiting for you by the gates, Lover Boy," teased Samantha, pointing to the pink-haired woman by the gilded gate.

"Then what am I doing here talking to you?" said Remus with a cheeky grin. He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "See you, Sami. I'll owl you about dinner with Harry."

"Goodbye, Remus. Say hello to Tonks for me."

"Will do. Be careful going home."

"I am always careful, dear cousin," smirked Samantha. With a flick of her cloak, she turned and disapparated.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2- Letters to the Beloved**

_Friendship is the golden thread that ties all hearts together.- Unknown_

The Ministry was in utter chaos after Albus's death. Samantha went in to work the Monday after the funeral to people crying in the hallways and walking around like Inferi in the many offices of the MLE. She sat at her desk to read the morning's _Prophet. _She spit out the mouthful of tea she had just taken when she read one of the headlines on the front page.

**  
Dumbledore's Murderer Sighted**

**  
**_Severus Snape, former Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy and murderer of the late Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, was sighted at London's Kings Cross station late Sunday night. Ministry officials from the MLE say Snape is to be considered very dangerous._

_  
"He's just as dangerous - if not more so - than any of the other Death Eaters we have in custody," said Head Auror Gawain Robards. "If anyone has any information on the whereabouts of this or any other Death Eater, please contact the Ministry immediately."_

_  
Members of the Wizarding community have expressed continued efforts to fight against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and his followers in the wake of the great wizard's death._

_  
"Dumbledore was a symbol of hope against the forces of You-Know-Who," said newly appointed Headmistress Minerva McGonagall. "Without Albus, we have to do our best to continue to fight against those who threaten to take away the lives we've worked so hard to build. We will continue to educate our children in order that they may make the right choices. Albus never gave in to fear. I refuse to let him down." (ctnd. Page 3)_

_  
Will Hogwarts close its doors for good? Page 4_

_  
Albus Dumbledore: Accolades and Achievements page 7_

_  
_Samantha set the paper down on her desktop. She hadn't heard from Severus since talking to him at the funeral. She hadn't thought to ask him where he was living, or where Draco was hiding. She bit her nails as she twirled her wand between her fingers.

"Ives, did you get that report I left on your desk?" said Kingsley as he passed her cubicle. Samantha dropped her hand away from her mouth and sat up straight.

"Yes sir, I'll get on it right away," answered Samantha. She began to shuffle papers on her desk, looking for the report. Kingsley looked around and leaned over the wall of the cubicle.

"Don't you worry about that article, kid," muttered Kingsley. "We'll catch him before too long. He can't hide forever."

"Right," said Samantha shakily. There was no getting around it. She was panicked. Luckily, Kingsley took it for fright at the thought of Severus finding her.

"See that you do, Ives," said Kingsley loudly. Samantha watched him walk down the hall to his office. She refolded her copy of the _Prophet _and stuck it in her bag underneath her desk. Shuffling the many sheaves of parchment on her desk, she located the report that Kingsley had given her. She picked up a quill and inked it as she read over the detailed account of the casting of the Imperius Curse on a house-elf.

Severus sat in his living room, drinking some coffee with his old Charms text open on his lap. He was shocked at how much he'd forgotten since he graduated from Hogwarts. Teaching Potions for all those years made him somewhat forgetful of standard N.E.W.T. level charms. But as hard as he tried to focus on the words and spells in the text, he couldn't help but think of Samantha. She was probably at the Ministry, working on mindless reports for Shacklebolt. He remembered a few times when he had talked with her after Order meetings about her job.

She had never wanted to work for the Ministry. Samantha had always talked about being a Healer while she was in school. But then her parents had died right after graduation, and she had gone to live in muggle London for a while to evade Death Eaters, her dreams of being a Healer buried with her loving mother and father. She returned after the fall of the Dark Lord, using her mother's maiden name, and applied for work in the Auror office, doing mindless editing and filing of reports. It was an insult to her intelligence.

Severus heard Wormtail creeping around upstairs. He hated having that sorry excuse for a man in his house. All the sniveling and whining gave Severus a headache. But the Dark Lord had assigned him to Severus, stating that Wormtail needed supervision. Wormtail was to assist Severus "in whatever Severus needed done." Severus shook his head at the irony of having a Marauder at his beck and call, day and night, and hating every minute of it.

A tapping on the kitchen window snapped Severus out of his wool gathering. He stood and walked into the tiny kitchen. A brown tawny owl swooped in as soon as Severus opened the window, landing on the table and sticking out its leg. He removed the letter and gave the bird some leftover toast crust from breakfast. The bird spread its wings and took off just as another owl arrived with the _Prophet. _Severus dug in his pocket for a sickle and placed it in the pouch on the bird's leg. He left the window open as he walked back to the living room. He tossed the paper onto the table in front of his chair and looked at the envelope in his hand. The handwriting was familiar, written in emerald green ink, but Severus couldn't place it right away. The seal was blank. Ever cautious of strange post, Severus pulled out his wand and cast several curse detection spells. None of the spells revealed any malicious hexes or jinxes. He slid a finger under the flap and broke the seal, removing the slip of paper within.

_Gabriel-_

Has it been dark where you are? I too enjoy nighttime strolls but caution should be employed when trains are nearby. The black genie is ever watchful. The green-eyed terror will set out on his quest within the month, along with his squire and the brain. Most likely after Fang and Phlegm make their pledge. I will have the pleasure of dining by moonlight with the green-eyed terror soon in order to discuss jewelry. I will be fox hunting until then, love.

Adieu, my black prince,

Haydyn  


_  
_Severus smiled at the used of code name for Potter. They would most likely leave after the Weasley wedding. The date had been set for July first at the Burrow. Albus had talked with Arthur about security, since almost the entire Order would be in attendance, along with Potter and the rest of his merry crew. Severus had no idea if the Dark Lord knew of the wedding and the potential for attack. Severus himself had certainly not mentioned a thing, but the announcement had been in the paper a few months ago. Hopefully, none of the other Death Eaters noticed it.

The last sentence about dinner with Potter was troubling. Sam would have a hard time discussing Horcruxes with Potter without mentioning where she learned all the information about the Dark Lord's efforts at immortality. Still, it would be good to know about the locket that they retrieved from the cave. Hopefully Potter hadn't done anything stupid with it.

He pulled out his wand and tapped the letter with a muttered _Evanesco_. He reached over to the table and picked up the paper. Scanning the first page, he started to open the next when the sight of his name made him pause.

**Dumbledore's Murderer Sighted**

**  
**_Damn,_ thought Severus as he skimmed the article. He had gone to Gringott's Sunday afternoon to transfer the contents of his vault into another vault under the name Jacob Prince, claiming to be a cousin to the murderer Severus Snape and wanting that no good SOB to have no funds to go around terrorizing the rest of Wizarding Britain. Seeing how the Ministry was going to have to freeze the account and inventory everything in the moderately-sized vault, they transferred the contents with little hassle with the side benefit of less paperwork for them. Gringott's had enough to deal with in making sure security was tight in the fright that had come with the aftermath of Albus's death.

He had been in disguise the entire time he was in the Alley. He didn't even go to Kings Cross that day. Someone must have spotted a poor muggle who resembled him. Dim-witted Ministry officials were rarely thorough in their interrogations of muggles.

_The black genie is ever watchful._ Shacklebolt. Of course. He was in charge of all high-level security risks. Any reports of his whereabouts would be directed to Shacklebolt and would pass across Samantha's desk eventually when they needed to be filed. He would have to be more careful, if only for her sake.

He flipped through the rest of the paper, skimming the pages briefly to catch any important announcements. McGonagall had been officially appointed headmistress of Hogwarts by the Board of Governors last Friday. Scrimgeour was ranting about increased security for Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. Severus sighed and dropped the paper back onto the table in front of him and grabbed his Charms book. Maybe if he finished this one, he would move on to N.E.W.T. Transfiguration.

It was late afternoon before Severus's reading was interrupted by the sound of the staircase door opening behind him. He growled softly, but didn't look up, tracking the whereabouts of his unwanted housemate by the sound of his shoes scuffing the carpet. Wormtail walked into the kitchen. Severus could hear pots and pans being set on stove. He personally hadn't been hungry enough to eat in several days, and today was no exception. Severus rose from his chair and walked quietly up the stairs to his bedroom.

His small room had a very comforting feel to it. Severus relaxed immediately upon entering. His desk sat near the window, the thin curtains swaying gently from the breeze coming through the open glass. His armoire stood open, revealing nothing but numerous black articles of clothing - cloaks, trousers, long-sleeve shirts, short-sleeve shirts, dress robes - and one set of green robes for Quidditch matches. A torn and dusty set of robes lay strewn across the chair that sat near the armoire. He had never gotten around to banishing the robes from that night.

He shut the bedroom door and went to sit down at his desk, gazing out the window. The day's heat was slowly dying as the sun sank lower on the horizon. The small clock sitting on the corner of the desk chimed the hour softly. Five o'clock. Samantha would be getting home soon. As if reading his thoughts, a dark-colored barn owl landed on the window sill. It gave Severus a soft hoot and flew over to sit on the desk. He snorted as he reached up a finger stroke the feathers under the bird's chin.

"Yes, I know you're brilliant, Madeline," said Severus. "I always wondered if you were just a touch too intelligent for my liking."

The owl hooted happily and flew over to the empty cage hanging in the corner of the room. Severus shook his head and opened one of the drawers. He pulled out a blank sheet of parchment and inked a quill.

_  
To my beloved Haydyn-_

_  
It has been as bright as day here. Nighttime strolls do not hold any appeal whatsoever, especially on Sundays, but thank you for the warning about trains and rubbing lamps. It is duly noted. I ran across some small friends in the Alley who helped me secure my funds into a safe place away from that vile murderer's greedy hands. Cousins can be such a pain sometimes._

_  
I wanted to mention that jewelry is a tricky subject to discuss with those who are not knowledgeable about all the details concerning a piece and may pose questions that cannot be easily answered by yourself. One must also be cautious in dealing with moonlighting outsiders who do not know anything about heirlooms of such value. But having the discussion over dinner is a good idea as long as you're careful. Let me know the details of the piece and its present whereabouts. I'm sure the family would do anything to get it back. I will let you know if they become aware that the piece is missing, although they did not miss the other item of jewelry we came across._

_  
I'm glad to hear that the green-eyed terror will not be questing alone. The squire's a bit dim, but having the brain should counter any idiocy they find themselves in. Hopefully. They always looked best in red. Green never suited them at all, unfortunately._

_  
Have heard no word if it's going to rain on Fang and Phlegm's pledge. The Patriarch may want to make alternate plans just in case. I will let you know the weather so that you can plan the feast accordingly and perhaps prepare the little ones to assist you in bringing out extra side dishes and dessert._

_  
Foxes only come out at night or if the ground is shaking. Don't fret if you don't spot any for a while. Too many foxes is never a good sign._

_  
Be watchful, my love. Snakes lie still in the grass._

With all that I am, I remain,

Gabriel

Severus was about to set down the quill when his left arm began to burn fiercely. He scribbled a hasty postscript and called for Madeline.

"Get this to Samantha quickly, love," whispered Severus. The owl nipped his finger and flew out the window as Severus grabbed his Death Eater robes and the silvery-white mask from his armoire. Donning his garb, he placed a thin finger on the Mark and disapparated.


	3. Chapter 3

**_A/N: Sorry about the confusion over my abbreviations. MLE stands for Magical Law Enforcement, including "Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters and Wizengamot Administration Services" according to OotP. I will be using it quite a bit, so I thought I'd clear that up for everyone. It gets bloody in this one, folks, so brace yourselves._**

**Chapter 3- Black Princes in Black Cloaks**

_There are no great men, only great challenges that ordinary men are forced by circumstance to meet.- William F. Halsey_

Samantha finished the last report from her box that sat on the corner of her desk and placed it to be filed tomorrow when she came in. She stood and stretched her arms up over her head, stiff from sitting all day. She grabbed her messenger bag from underneath her desk and her cloak off the back of her chair. She walked down the hallway to Kingsley's office.

"I'm leaving for the day, Mr. Shacklebolt," said Samantha. She tried to ignore all of the pictures of Severus that lined the walls, scowling at her next to a very tattered map with pin holes all over it. There were a couple of red pins dotting the area around Hogwarts and London.

"Very good, Ives," answered Kingsley, bent over some parchment. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"Goodnight, sir."

Samantha walked out into the main hallway of the MLE offices and disapparated to her apartment in Grantchester. It was a small flat on the second floor of an old building that used to be a store of some kind. The store had been abandoned some years earlier, so no strangers ever dropped by to say hello, which was a definite plus considering the tenant.

Samantha took off her cloak and hung it on the coat rack next to the door. Her shoes echoed softly on the wood floor of the entryway. She walked past the front table littered with letters from coworkers at the office and old issues of the _Prophet _with black bold headlines screaming of murder and Death Eaters at Hogwarts. She entered the small kitchen area and put a kettle on the stove to heat.

As she placed a tea bag in a cup and poured the hot water over it, an owl flew through the window and landed on the table. She recognized the owl immediately as Madeline and ran over to grab the letter attached to the bird's leg. She ripped it open and sighed in relief at seeing it wasn't urgent. She petted Madeline's feathers before the owl took off out the window again. She picked up her cup of tea and sat at the table to read.

She scoffed at reading the first paragraph. _That idiot,_ thought Samantha with a smirk. Only Severus would be skilled enough to fool Gringott's into thinking he was cousin to the infamous Severus Snape and not have that fact cause him problems. Still, it was a little too risky for Samantha's tastes for him to be gallivanting around Diagon Alley in broad daylight.

She rolled her eyes at the veiled warnings about talking to Potter over dinner at Remus's. As if she hadn't already thought about this. She was working on a plan to get Potter alone away from Remus. That way she wouldn't have to hear complaints that she was encouraging the young man in foolhardy quests after mysterious objects from the self-appointed Guardian of the Chosen One. Remus hadn't owled her yet, but she was expecting it soon, before Bill's wedding at any rate.

What worried Samantha the most was that the Dark Lord had not mentioned the Weasley wedding at all to Severus. Now that Albus was out of the picture, the Dark Lord might have a bit more courage to attack an event where the only attendees would be members of the Order and a few family friends who already knew about the Order's existence. And if he found out that Potter would be in attendance, there was the definite threat of something happening. But preparing the kids to help attack if something did happen? Severus had always said that the kids would be invaluable as members of the Order, but was always lectured by a tearful Molly Weasley. If he wanted to plan to have the kids help, it would have to be done without the consent of the Order.

She finished the letter and folded it back to stuff it into the envelope when she noticed some writing on the back of the letter. It was very sloppy, as if written in a hurry.

_  
P.S. Darkness has fallen. Watch for foxes late tonight. Love, Gabriel_

_  
_Samantha's hand began to shake. Severus had been summoned. She stood and walked slowly to her study. She tapped her wand against one of the desk drawers twice and pulled on the handle. She kept all her important letters in this secret drawer - letters from Remus on everything from Order business to dinner invitations and Christmas cards, letters from Tonks and Hestia about various strange occurrences in and around the Ministry offices, and every single scrap of parchment she had ever received from Severus. Old yellowed ones from their school days, notes he had slipped in her books during study sessions in the library or during class, the letter he had written after Regulus was killed about how he had decided to talk to Albus about switching sides, various missives on Death Eaters to keep an eye on inside the Ministry. He always told her not to keep them, to destroy them so that no one would find them and have cause to harm her because of her alliances, but she never did. For some reason she couldn't bring herself to destroy them.

She placed his latest letter on the top and shut the drawer, twisting the handle as she did so to turn the drawer back to its original state. She sat down in the chair, chewing her nails and twirling her wand in nervousness. The room darkened slowly as the last bit of sunlight disappeared under the horizon. The clock in the hallway chimed hour upon agonizing hour, but she did not move from where she was, frozen in fear, thinking about what was happening at the meeting and if this would be the one from which Severus never returned.

Severus found himself outside in a large, open field. The sky was overcast, making it darker than the hour suggested. The unnatural chill that had characterized last summer permeated the air around him, causing goose bumps to rise all over his body. He shifted his eyes to look at his surroundings, trying to find anything familiar. Gentle pops were heard all around him as the other Death Eaters joined him in the field. Seeing as how he could no longer use the apparition wards at Hogwarts for an excuse to be late, Severus made sure to leave as soon as the Mark began to burn. The highest ranking member of the Inner Circle could not be late.

He gazed around haughtily at the others, seeing if there were any that he recognized. He spotted two cloaked figures with pale blond hair standing next to a voluptuous woman with dark eyes. Further away, he saw several younger figures clumped together and shuffling nervously. Two of them were easily recognizable as the younger Crabbe and Goyle. The others he assumed were Pansy Parkinson along with Theodore Nott. One of them spotted Draco and walked over to where he and his mother and aunt were standing. Doing a quick head count, Severus estimated about 40 members present.

A loud pop echoed in the field, followed by a deafening silence. The Death Eaters quickly formed a circle around their master.

"It is good to see you all here," hissed Voldemort, his eyes roaming idly around the circle. Nagini slithered down his body and curled up on the ground at his feet. "I see that everyone is present and accounted for. Hope you have enjoyed your celebrations."

Some of the crowd chuckled slightly and murmured words of assent. Voldemort raised his hand sharply and all the voices fell silent.

"I wanted to welcome our newest members. They have yet to go out on real missions, but I have high hopes for them," said Voldemort, gazing at the younger members of the circle with an evil smile. "Of course, one of them was given one of the biggest missions I have ever given to any of my followers. My young Dragon, please step forward."

Severus tensed as he saw Draco step forward away from his mother's side. He stood tall with his head bowed respectfully and hands clenched in front of him. Severus thought he could see them shaking slightly. He watched as Voldemort turned away from Draco to address the crowd.

"Young Mr. Malfoy was given the honor of finding a way to kill Albus Dumbledore. " He waited for all the surprised gasps and mutterings to dwindle to nothing. "Yes, my friends, you see what a great mission this was for our young Slytherin here. He did well in not alerting that fool of an old man to his schemes, nor any of Dumbledore's precious Order members." Severus saw Draco flinch ever so slightly at those words. Albus had known everything. He always did. If he didn't, Potter had certainly made him aware of Draco's suspicious actions. Severus's palms began to sweat. This monologuing was never a good sign during these kinds of meetings.

"Everything was going according to plan. Draco found an ingenious way to penetrate the castle's defenses and had the old man cornered, weak and defenseless. Brilliant." Voldemort paused, and turned towards where Draco was standing. He slowly made his way to stand directly in front of the boy. He lifted Draco's chin with a white porcelain finger and gazed into the steel grey eyes. Everything was silent for several moments. Eventually, Voldemort looked away from the young man and began walking around the circle.

"Well, now this is very interesting," said Voldemort softly. "It seems as if some of my followers think it wise to question my orders. Take it upon themselves to take precautions. They even seem to go so far as to speak of things that do not concern them."

_Damn it, Narcissa, _screamed Severus in thought as Voldemort stopped his pacing directly in front of the pale-haired woman. He raised his wand with a thin, skeletal hand.

"My dear Narcissa," began Voldemort. Severus could see the poor woman shaking in fright at being addressed directly by the Dark Lord. "You must take great pride in the fact that your son was chosen for such an honorable task."

"Yes, my Lord is ever gracious," muttered Narcissa, her voice cracking and sounding nothing like the sultry voice that Severus was familiar with in dealing with the Lady Malfoy.

"Indeed, Narcissa," said Voldemort softly. "So tell me why you decided to assist Draco in fulfilling his quest. I specifically told your son that he was not to ask for help. Did you have such little faith in my decision?"

"No, my Lord," answered Narcissa quickly. Severus met Bellatrix's eyes from across the circle, the dark-lidded black orbs wide in fear.

"_Cruicio!"_

_  
_Draco's screams rent the early evening air as the boy collapsed in the center of the circle, his legs and arms twitching under the curse. Voldemort casually lifted his wand and turned back to the violently trembling woman.

"So, you took it into your own hands to see that Draco succeeded. I see, I see," said Voldemort. "You were no doubt simply trying to secure your son a place in my Circle, something your husband never seemed to fully appreciate. An honorable quest, my dear. Any mother would do the same."

Narcissa stood silently, her chest shaking with sobs for her trembling child who was trying to stand back up on weak legs. It was all Severus could do to keep from reaching out to help the boy.

"Yet, you thought that this charge was too much for young Draco," continued Voldemort. "You thought him unable to complete the task, is that right?"

"N-n-no, my Lord," stuttered Narcissa. Bellatrix closed her eyes slowly and bowed her head.

"_Crucio!"_

_  
_Once again, Draco's screams were heard echoing in the countryside. Narcissa fell to her knees, sobbing audibly, her hands gripping handfuls of grass from the ground.

"Please, my Lord," pleaded Narcissa, "Please, Master - not my baby, please!"

Voldemort once again lifted his wand breaking the curse. Draco curled in upon himself in pain as Voldemort bent down to where Narcissa was lying on the ground.

"You cannot lie to me, Narcissa," whispered Voldemort. He lifted her head as he had done earlier with Draco and held her gaze for several moments. Sneering, he thrust her head away from him and stood up.

"Well, my friends, you are in for a real treat this evening," said Voldemort loudly to the silent crowd. "And our new recruits will learn the price of doubt. How marvelous." He turned to where Draco was crouched on the ground, his arms shaking violently as they struggled to hold his weight.

"My little Dragon, your mother didn't seem to think you worthy of the task you were given last year. She went to your dear godfather Severus and made him swear an Unbreakable Vow to complete the task should you fail." A high, cold laughter rang out into the night. Draco turned to look at Severus, his eyes bright and glassy. Severus turned away quickly, looking to the ground in front of his feet, unable to accept the apology he saw in the child's wide and fearful eyes.

"But _I_ had planned all along for Severus to assist you in killing the old man," said Voldemort as he lifted his wand to point at the still cowering woman on the ground. "Severus was in the perfect position to do the most damage to Dumbledore's precious Order. The goal was accomplished. You got a taste of what is required from my followers. Your faithless mother didn't think much of the consequences of her actions, did she, my young Dragon? Severus's quick thinking and your young brilliant mind saved us this time, but we can't have you being influenced in such a way in the future, nor can we have any future missions placed in jeopardy." He pointed his wand at Narcissa, flicking it ever so slightly. Her chest erupted in a shower of crimson liquid, drenching Draco and the Death Eaters nearby.The woman crumpled to the ground gasping out her last breaths until she lay motionless. The cloaked figures beside her stood stock still. Draco sat back on his haunches, staring at his mother's masked face, blood dripping from the edge of his hood. Voldemort stepped around the boy and addressed the young teenagers to his right.  
_  
_"Were you watching, my young snakes? I hope you paid close attention," said Voldemort, his lips curling upward. "But our lessons for the evening are not over yet. Oh no, we're just beginning."

Severus immediately began reinforcing his Occlumency walls in his mind. He knew his turn was coming soon. Voldemort walked right in front of Severus - and continued past him to where Bellatrix was standing. The woman immediately dropped to her knees and kissed the hem of Voldemort's cloak. She stood back up, but kept her head bowed.

"Bella, my dear, I'm so sorry for your loss," said Voldemort softly. He tsked, shaking his head, and added, "I know how much you cared for your little sister."

"Yes, my Lord," whispered Bellatrix. Her frame was tense with apprehension.

"I noticed, Bella," said Voldemort casually, "that young Draco here seems to be much improved in Occlumency. You wouldn't happen to know how that happened, would you? Especially since I specifically said that no one within my circle was to teach it to the recruits until they had been fully initiated."

"My Lord!" cried Bellatrix as she fell to her knees again. "I only taught my nephew enough to fool any meddling by Snape! You had given the task to the boy! I did not question it, my Lord! I -"

"Get up, Bella," spat Voldemort. Bellatrix stumbled to her feet, her explanation cut off. "I did not ask to hear your excuses. So, you disobeyed me in order to keep Severus from assisting Draco, knowing full well that if the boy was harmed in any way, that Severus would die on the spot due to the Vow that you cast for your dear sister, and I would lose my most valuable servant. Is that correct, Bella?"

"My Lord, I do not trust him! He is not the loyal --"

"_Crucio!"_

_God, I hate that curse,_ thought Severus as he watched the woman struggle not to scream. This casting of the curse lasted much longer than it had on Draco, and after about 30 seconds she began to scream. She writhed in pain on the ground, her throaty screams becoming hoarse as time went by. After several minutes, she fell unconscious, her limbs still twitching as Voldemort held the curse on her. He lifted his wand as blood began to trickle out her nose and ears. Voldemort turned again to the wide-eyed teenagers who had been unable to tear their eyes away from the sight before them.

"Ah, very good," said Voldemort, "I see you have been watching ever so closely. Wonderful. I must admit I'm tired of teaching for now. Draco, if you would be so good as to take your place back in the circle, please."

Draco stood and walked slowly back to where his mother's body still lay on the ground. Voldemort continued his circuit around the circle.

"Severus, I must once again congratulate you on a job well done. The fact that you can no longer be at Hogwarts is rather a mute point, don't you think?"

"Yes, my Lord," said Severus softly, his head still bowed to the ground. He withheld a sigh of relief with difficulty. Tonight was not the night he would die cowering before this madman.

"Indeed, Severus," said Voldemort as he stopped in front of Severus. "And now, the old fool's precious Order will have no clue as to our actions. We will have to use this to our advantage, won't we, my Snake?"

"Yes, my Lord," answered Severus as his stomach dropped.

"All of you may go," said Voldemort with a wave of his hand. "Continue to do as we discussed at the last meeting. Severus, I would like a word."

Numerous pops sounded one after the other like Christmas crackers being pulled. Draco walked over to where Bellatrix lay unconscious, but he didn't attempt to revive her. He went and lifted his mother's lithe frame from off the ground and disapparated with a loud pop. Severus stood stock still, waiting for the last of the others to leave the field. Silence fell like a heavy blanket over the two occupants in black cloaks.

"Walk with me, Severus," said Voldemort. Severus followed with his head still bowed. He stayed one step behind the softly whispering tail of the Dark Lord's cloak.

"You have heard about the eldest Weasley boy marrying the little French girl, yes?" asked Voldemort.

"Yes, my Lord," said Severus. This was not a conversation he wanted to have at all.

"Do you know anything of any security they're planning for the event?" Voldemort walked slowly at a steady pace, not once looking back at Severus.

"Not much, my Lord," said Severus as he tried to decide quickly how much information he could safely pass. "Dumbledore talked privately with the Weasleys. I imagine the Aurors in the Order will be present and on guard. Other members will probably be posted on the perimeter of any wards that they set up around the ceremony site and the house itself, either under Invisibility cloaks or Disillusioned. The wards could be broken if the right person were careful to do so slowly to avoid alerting the Ministry."

"Hm," mused Voldemort, lifting a pale finger to tap his non-existent lips. "Yes, that sounds typical of Dumbledore. Protecting his little children. Yes, indeed…"

Severus walked silently behind Voldemort, memorizing every word.

"Well, Severus, I have decided to send a little wedding gift of my own," said Voldemort. He stopped suddenly and turned to look at Severus. "We'll send a few visitors to wish the happy couple a blessed marriage. Maybe we'll even say hello to Potter while we're there as well. You will be the leader for this one, Severus. I know you've waited for quite a while to see some action in the field. Besides, won't it be marvelous for those wretched Phoenixers to know that their once-trusted spy is now the one attacking them?"

"Yes, my Lord," said Severus evenly. Bile rose to the back of his throat as he tried to quell the nauseous feeling in his stomach. "Thank you for this honor, my Lord. You are generous to your servant." He bent down and kissed the hem of Voldemort's cloak, trying hard not to gag.

Voldemort rested a hand on Severus's head.

"Do not fail me, Severus. You are the best I have left."

"Yes, my Lord."

"You may go, my Snake."

Severus stood slowly so as to not look as if he were fleeing in haste. He turned on the spot and disappeared with a flick of his cloak and a barely audible pop.


	4. Chapter 4

**_A/N: And now, for a little more background information on the beautiful Miss Ives and the introduction of Mr. Potter to our tale..._**

**Chapter 4- Dining in the Moonlight**

_That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all lessons that history has to teach.- Aldous Huxley_

The clock in the hallway chimed 11. Samantha sat in her desk chair, staring at the open window. The night air was surprisingly frigid. The room had chilled past the point of comfort, but Samantha made no move to shut the window. The Patronus could get in through a closed window, but she didn't care to listen to reason at the moment. Her hands gripped the arms of the chair, the nails on one hand ragged and uneven from her chewing. Her wand sat idly on the desk, along with blank parchment, her favorite black quill and a bottle of emerald green ink.

At 11:30, she gave up and got ready for bed. She rose up from the chair, and walked towards the window, stumbling over her shoes. She shut the window tightly and locked it. As she was disrobing, a bright white light shot into the room, casting a faint shimmering on the walls. She ran back to the desk and grabbed her wand, waving it hurriedly to light the candles in the room. She touched the tip to the white fox's tiny nose. Her wand glowed blue and a parchment shot out of her wand. Samantha ripped it off, and unrolled it.

_To the lovely Samantha Haydyn--_

_  
Sam, we are in trouble. Big, huge, dragon-sized trouble._

_  
I have been given the supreme honor of leading a Death Eater raid on Fang and Phlegm's wedding. Oh yes, but it gets better. I have also been informed that I am, and I quote, "the best that the Dark Lord has"- and no, Samantha, I am not making this up to feed my ego. The Dark Lord made specific mention of the fact that now that I am seen as a traitor to the Order, they will have no knowledge of any attacks._

_  
I don't know exactly what plans Albus and Arthur laid down for security. I mentioned Auror surveillance and possible cloaked/disillusioned sentries around any wards that were set up. You need to find out exactly what they're planning and let me know so we can plan accordingly._

_I have thought about this for a bit and had an idea. I don't know if this is feasible, but it would avoid unnecessary bloodshed. I think the wedding should be held on the last day of June. Have the real ceremony the day before and stage a fake one on the first of July. That way, I still attack a "wedding party." The children will probably be sent off somewhere, although Potter may not go quietly. My men can be ambushed and get out quickly if need be, with a few of them being captured. I don't know if I will be able to convince the Dark Lord that I was not the one who passed the information, but I will do my best. Since I'm leading the attack, I will be the one to report to him and can provide the details necessary.  
_

_The infamous Lady Malfoy was killed this evening for her lack of faith in the Dark Lord and for binding me to help Draco by the Vow. Right in front of the boy, blood was everywhere. Draco was in shock the rest of the evening. I'm sure the two doses of Crucio didn't help at all. Our dear friend Bellatrix also got a little dose of her own medicine for teaching Draco a bit of Occlumency. I don't know how Lucius will react to the news of his beloved Narcissa being killed._

_  
Send word to the Order and let me know the details. It would probably be better to hold a full meeting, although you would have to withstand all of the bitter hatred of my being. Tell them you have a new source for news. Being one of the few Slytherins there, I'm sure you can manage._

_Stay safe for me, love. I miss your beautiful face.  
_

_  
Forever yours,  
Severus_

Samantha stood in shock, her mind racing and failing to grasp any coherent thought. The Dark Lord was going to attack the wedding. _Bloody hell, Severus, how am I supposed to do this_, she thought. She opened her secret drawer and dropped the note inside. She rubbed her eyes with her fingers. Exhaustion was claiming her, and she couldn't think straight. She would have to contact Remus in the morning before she left for work. She waved her wand to douse the lights. She climbed into bed, not bothering to change the rest of her clothes. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

Her alarm clock rang at six the next morning. Samantha lifted her head to gaze blearily at the illuminated face. She slapped the top of the clock to silence the noise, and sat up. Her eyes kept sliding shut and every muscle in her body shouted for more sleep. She got up before she could lay back down and went to take a shower.

After getting dressed and making herself a cup of tea, she sat back down at her desk. She always hated the way that Albus had taught them the Patronus Messaging Charm. She could never get her mental letter quite the way she wanted it quick enough to shoot off without writing the actual words down on parchment. Resigning herself to the lecture she would get from Remus, she pulled a piece of parchment towards her and inked her quill.

_Remus-_

_  
I have received news from an ironclad source on the inside warning of an attack on the wedding at the Burrow. We need to talk to the other Phoenixers, Arthur in particular, to discuss the security detail and a possible alternative plan I thought of after getting the news. Please respond as soon as you can. We are quickly running out of time._

_  
Love,  
Samantha_

Samantha rolled up the parchment and set it on the desk. She tapped it once with her wand. The parchment was coded for Remus's wand only and disappeared from the desk. She mentally spoke the incantation and a bright white falcon shot through the wall of her room. She watched as the sun dawned on an overcast sky.

Samantha arrived at the Ministry a little after 7:45. Her desk was already piled from reports filed overnight by the graveyard shift Aurors. She sighed and took out her paper to read before beginning to edit the reports. Nothing in particular caught her eye as she glanced quickly at all the headlines, flipping the pages leisurely. Disappointed by the lack of distraction, she pulled off the top report and began to work.

The day passed quickly. No other sightings of Severus had been reported, much to Samantha's relief. By the time five o'clock rolled around, she had pushed all thoughts of the wedding and the planned attack out of her mind, concentrating instead on which came first, _McMasters _or _Miller._ She finished filing the few reports in her hand and said goodnight to Kingsley. She apparated to her flat and removed her cloak, placing her bag by the front table. She walked into the kitchen and froze when she saw a man sitting at her kitchen table, sipping a cup of coffee.

"Hey Sami, how was your day?" asked Remus as he set his cup back on the table. "I made some coffee. Hope you don't mind. It didn't look as though you drink much."

"I don't, usually," answered Samantha once her heart had settled its thunderous pumping in her chest. "Remus, most people owl before they come over, you know." She turned to pour herself a cup of coffee, smiling to herself. "Is Tonks aware of your deplorable manners?"

"Of course she is," answered Remus. "It's part of my charm."

Samantha snorted into her coffee, pulling the cup away from her mouth so that she didn't spill it all over her robes.

"Indeed. I don't see how Tonks can withstand all that charm."

"Yes, well I didn't come over to talk about me," said Remus. The smile faded from his face."I came to talk about this little letter you sent me at the crack of dawn this morning."

"Good," said Samantha. She took a sip of bitter coffee and made a face, reaching in the cabinet for some sugar. "I was wondering if you had gotten it."

"Yes, I did," replied Remus, watching her dump heaping spoonfuls of sugar into her cup. "And I must say I find this idea of an "inside source" a little dodgy, Sami."

"I trust this person with my life," said Samantha smoothly. "You know how I am about trusting people."

"Well, yes, but -" said Remus, eyeing Samantha carefully. "You have been wrong before."

"So you think that since I believed Severus, that I can't trust the right people, is that it?" said Samantha as she glared at Remus, her eyes narrowing at the guilty look on his face.

"Look, Sami, we were all fooled when it came to Snape. He just went and -"

"And sacrificed his life over and over again for those damn Gryffindors that you swear are the most innocent kids on the face of the earth," shouted Samantha. "He never ONCE gave us false information, never ONCE lied to us in the course of his work for the Order. The only times he didn't explain himself fully were the times when Albus had specifically told him to keep his mouth shut." She roughly placed the lid back on the sugar container and slammed it on the shelf in the cabinet.

"Sami, the man killed Albus," growled Remus. "Harry saw everything. He said that Snape walked up the stairs and pulled his wand and -"

"Do you know what Potter and Albus were doing away from the castle that night, Remus?" asked Samantha softly. She smirked cruelly at Remus's confused look. "What a pity."

She yanked out the chair across from Remus and slammed down her cup of coffee. She sat across from him and crossed her arms, giving him a pointed glare. Remus shifted uncomfortably in his chair and cleared his throat.

"Alright then, Samantha. If you trust this mysterious source, then we'd be safer acting on what they tell us than ignoring it all together. Arthur spoke to me about doing the detail for the wedding. Only the Auror-trained Phoenixers can lay down Anti-Apparition wards large enough to cover the entire Burrow and the garden where they're having the ceremony. We had Moody lay them down last week. It's just going to be family and close friends. Fleur's only bring her immediate family, as it's too dangerous to bring everyone up from France. Only a few Weasleys outside of Arthur's immediate family are coming, along with the Lovegoods from the other side of the village, so that won't be too many more people. Of course, the whole Order was invited. Well, everyone but Mundungus, who Molly refused to invite. So we're up to about 40 people. That's counting Harry and Hermione. They're both already at the Burrow, helping to make preparations."

He paused to take another drink and continued. "As far as other security for the actual ceremony, I was planning on posting Hestia and myself on opposite sides of the protective wards in the garden that Albus set up a few months ago, doing walking patrols. Arthur and I double-checked to make sure that they were still solid after he died. They were weakened quite a bit, so we went ahead and had Tonks reinforce them. We'd be disillusioned. I was gonna have Mad-Eye stand guard at the front of the Burrow, with Tonks watching the rear, and have both of them disillusioned as well. They'd have to come through the woods to get to us, and then they'd have to get around Tonks and Moody and past the wards."

Samantha nodded her head as she pictured the Burrow in her mind. She had only been there once before, but it had a distinct charisma about it that made it unforgettable. The plan was okay, even if the sentries were a little thin on the edges of the wards. But the wards sounded pretty solid. Moody probably added a jinx or two to shake things up.

"You mentioned something about an alternative plan that you thought of," said Remus. "I'd love to hear it, seeing as how I don't think Bill and Fleur want to remember their wedding day for masked men and black cloaks."

Samantha gave him a small grin. "Indeed. Well, since my source indicated that the attack was to be held on July first, I thought it might be better to hold the wedding a day or two before. That might make travel arrangements a little tricky for Fleur's family and the other Weasleys, but for the sake of safety I think it would be best. Then, on the first, we can have just Order members at the Burrow and ambush the attackers. We'll need to plan specifics, but I thought it might be feasible."

"Hmm," hummed Remus. He ran a hand through his graying hair and looked off into the corner of the room. "Have you mentioned any of this to your mysterious source?"

"No," said Samantha. "My source simply informed me of the attack and has no idea what we're planning." _At least not yet, he doesn't_ thought Samantha.

Remus nodded. "Good. I feel a lot better without them knowing what we're doing. I would have to talk to Arthur and Molly, but I think you may have something, my dear. We wouldn't have to worry about the kids being in the way. We could send them all to Headquarters, since Harry inherited it from Sirius and all of the protections are still in place. He owled me yesterday and said that he'd been to visit and things seemed normal and that it's still under the Fidelius. Said he had Kretcher cleaning everything top to bottom. I'll contact Arthur tonight and see if we can't have a full meeting either tomorrow night or the next day. Oh, that reminds me!"

Remus reached in his pocket and pulled out a letter. "I meant to send this to you today at work, but I completely forgot. Harry's coming over for dinner tonight at 7 and I told him you would be there. I know it's kind of last minute, but you're more than welcome to join us."

"It sounds wonderful, Remus," said Samantha. "I'll just need a little time to clean up a bit and change clothes, but I can be there by 7, no problem."

"Great!" said Remus. He stood and grabbed his cloak off the back of his chair. "Thanks for the coffee, Sami. I'll send a note to Molly before dinner to give to Arthur." He kissed her cheek and walked to the door. "See you at 7."

"Until then," said Samantha. She watched as Remus disapparated back to London, deep in thought about the plan. She sighed and stood up from the table, making her way to the bathroom for a quick shower.

At 6:58, Samantha apparated to the alleyway behind a two-story brick house in South London. She walked around to the front door with a bottle of white wine in hand and raised the brass knocker on the door, rapping it loudly twice. The door was opened by a young man with messy black hair and unnatural green eyes.

"Hi, I'm Samantha, Remus's cousin," said Samantha. She held out her hand to the boy, which he took and shook quickly. "You must be Mr. Potter."

"Yeah, nice to meet you," said Harry. He stepped aside and waved her in. "Please, come in. Remus is just finishing up in the kitchen."

"Thanks," said Samantha as she stepped inside the shabby but immaculately clean house. She hung her cloak on the hooks by the door and made her way down the hall to the kitchen. She could smell roast garlic as she got closer to where Remus was cooking. She walked in and set the wine on the table. Remus was stirring a pot on the stove.

"Hey there, Sami," said Remus as he opened the oven door. "I mistimed the chicken, so it's gonna be about 20 or 30 minutes."

"No problem, just call us when you're ready for us," said Samantha. "What do you say we retire to the sitting room, Mr. Potter?"

Harry was standing in the doorway, watching her and Remus interact. _Interesting, _thought Samantha as he followed her back down the hall to a small room right off the entryway. She sat down in the chair facing the outer window, while Harry sat on the sofa across from her. He was nervously flattening hishair on his head.

"Don't worry," said Samantha, "I'm not some trashy _Prophet_ reporter in disguise who's going to ask you all kinds of embarrassing questions." She chuckled softly at the blush that crept up the boy's neck.

"Sorry," said Harry, looking thoroughly embarrassed. "Remus didn't say much about you when he invited me over."

"No, I expect he didn't," mused Samantha. "My past made it somewhat difficult to know who exactly to trust with my personal information. Not very many people remember me, which works decidedly in my favor. Even now, a lot of the Order members don't know that Remus and I are related."

"Remember you?" asked Harry. "Remember you from where?"

"It's a long story," said Samantha as she gazed out the window. She sighed. "But you have quite a story of your own, don't you, Mr. Potter. I assure you, mine's not quite so enthralling but it's quite interesting to say the least." She paused and put a hand to her lips, thinking about where to begin. "Well, I suppose I'll just start at the beginning, hm?"

Harry nodded and Samantha began to speak. "Well, I was in the same year as your parents, Sirius and Remus back in school. I was in Slytherin, though. Slughorn was my head of House." She grinned at the scowl that Harry gave her. "I doubt that feelings against my House have changed much since I was in school, judging by the face you're making." Samantha paused at the questioning look that Harry gave her. He seemed to be debating with himself on saying something.

"You can ask me whatever it is you're trying to hold in, Mr. Potter," said Samantha, grinning. "I promise not to bite too hard."

"Did you -" began Harry. He cleared his throat and looked directly in her face. "Did you know Snape, then, since you were in Slytherin at the same time?"

Samantha's grin faltered a bit, and she looked from those wicked green eyes to the window. She spoke in a voice hardly above a whisper. "Yes, I did. We were best friends since first year, not quite unlike yourself and Miss Granger or young Mr. Weasley from what I can gather. I can safely say that I knew him even better than Albus himself."

Samantha was silent for a few moments, lost in thoughts of the past. She closed her eyes, seeing Severus sitting across from her in the library watching her read… seeing him play Chaser for the House team and cheering her lungs out…seeing that look in his eyes that night in the commons room as he leaned in to kiss her for the first time…

"I'm sorry," said Harry, breaking Samantha from her reminiscing. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"Talking about Severus would never upset me," said Samantha firmly, shaking her head. "You never have to watch your words around me, Mr. Potter. I assure you that he is not a sore topic for me. But I didn't mean to go off on a tangent. Yes, I knew him from school."

She paused briefly to remember what she was going to originally say before thinking of Severus. "I did well in my subjects, got excellent N.E.W.T. scores. I wanted to be a Healer for St. Mungo's. There was a real need for them at that time, what with the Dark Lord rising and killing people left and right. Well, I graduated and went home to find the Dark Mark floating over my house and both my parents dead. I was scared to death. I had a decent amount of muggle money at the time, so I found an apartment north of here in Grantchester and got a job waitressing. I didn't associate with the Wizarding world for about 3 or 4 years, until after that Halloween night when you lost your parents. I came back, using my mother's maiden name, and applied for a file clerk job in the MLE offices. I actually work with Kingsley Shacklebolt pretty extensively. That's pretty much my story. I've been a member of the Order since Kingsley recruited me a couple of years ago. I volunteered to be one of the ones who fetched you that night with the Dementors, but Hestia beat me out for it."

"If you don't mind me asking," said Harry, that questioning look in his eyes once again, "what were your parents' names?"

"McKinnon," said Samantha softly."Marlene McKinnon was my mother and a member of the Order as well. My father's name was Jacob. Everyone thought that I was dead too, since I disappeared entirely after I graduated. After they died, I had to drop the name because there were still Death Eaters out looking for me. I took my mother's maiden name, Ives, and have used it on every single form I've filled out since."

Harry nodded. He fingered something in his jacket pocket. With a slight thrill running through her body, Samantha placed her arms casually on the arms of the chair and took on a relaxed pose.

"So, I heard that you had thehigh honorof having private lessons with Albus this past year," said Samantha. She watched his face for any expression that would give him away. "If I may ask, what were they about?"

"Oh, I'm really sorry, but I can't talk about them," said Harry. He shifted his gaze to the bookshelf on the far wall. Samantha grinned slightly.

"I see," she said. Going for the kill, she continued in a dismissive tone. "Knowing Albus like I did, it was probably some kind of history lesson. He was always harping on being good students of history, saying that if we didn't study the mistakes of the past, that we were bound to repeat them in the future. I think often times he stressed history more so than other more practical things, like Potions or Defense."

Samantha watched nonchalantly as Harry's face paled. He stared at her and his eyes widened when Samantha gave him a wink. She held his shocked gaze until Remus's voice carried down the hall.

"It's ready, you two come on in and eat."

"Marvelous," said Samantha, pointedly ignoring the shell-shocked look on Harry's face. "Shall we go and see if it's edible, Mr. Potter?" With that, she stood and turned to walk towards the kitchen.


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: Thanks to all who have reviewed! Some of you have raised interesting questions/observations! I love it! keep 'em coming...**_

**Chapter 5- Cake and Confessions**

_The causes of events are ever more interesting than the events themselves.- Cicero_

Dinner was indeed edible, much to Samantha's surprise. _Although,_ she thought as she watched Remus eat his lemon chicken, _he's been single for how long now? Where did he learn to cook?_

Much to her amusement, Harry kept glancing at her all through the meal. She pretended not to notice the slightly calculating and suspicious looks he was giving her across the table. Remus was oblivious to everything.

"So, Harry," said Remus as he reached for his wine glass, "how are you enjoying the Weasleys?"

"Oh, it's great," said Harry in a bright tone. There was a glistening in his eyes as he talked about days spent hanging out with Ron, avoiding Hermione and her voracious appetite for thick books, and impromptu Quidditch matches when the twins dropped by to visit on the weekends. Remus laughed at his telling of the joke the twins had pulled on Bill last weekend.

"And you should have seen Mrs. Weasley's face! I've never seen the twins look that afraid! It was hilarious! Bill's face was lime green the entire day." finished Harry. Samantha marveled at how young this Harry was compared to the young man who asked her about Severus with such hatred and scorn in his voice, a young man who had faced the Dark Lord numerous times and lived to tell the tale. Remus stood to get dessert, leaving the two of them at the table alone while he grabbed plates and the chocolate cake off the counter.

Harry stared at her, his face blank. Samantha raised an eyebrow at him, and saw him shutter slightly, shaking his head as if to clear it of some unwanted thought. He looked back up at her, and gave her a small smile. She returned a grin, unsure of what he was smiling about as Remus set plates in front of them with large slices of cake oozing chocolate icing. They were enjoying their dessert when a bright light shot through the wall next to Samantha. Remus quickly took out his wand and touched the Patronus with the tip of his wand. A parchment shot out, which he grabbed immediately. He gave Samantha a pointed look and stood up, placing his napkin on the table beside his plate.

"If you'll excuse me for a moment, I have to answer this," said Remus. Both Samantha and Harry nodded and Remus walked out of the room. Harry looked again at Samantha, but when she met his gaze, he quickly looked down and took a big bite of cake.

"Mr. Potter, do I have some interesting growth on my face?" asked Samantha in a teasing tone. "You've done nothing but stare at me all evening. I would hate to have distracted you the _entire_ evening."

Harry laughed at her, almost choking on the cake in his mouth. He swallowed thickly and took a sip of water from his glass. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude."

"Ah," said Samantha in a misty tone, "so you do not deny that you were staring. A very wise move, Mr. Potter. Very wise."

"Well," said Harry, the grin ever widening on his tan face, "you were in Slytherin. I figure you're pretty good at telling when someone's lying to you."

Samantha burst out laughing. Harry joined after a brief moment, seeing that his joke didn't offend her.

"My, my," said Samantha as her breathing returned to normal. "You are something else." She took another sip of wine as she placed her napkin on the tabletop. "He was wrong. I think you're terribly clever."

"Who was wrong, ma'am?" asked Harry as he scraped the plate clean of frosting.

"Please, call me Sam, but I was talking about Severus," said Samantha. She jumped when Harry's fork hit the plate with a loud clatter. She turned to look at him, and was frightened at the intense look in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Potter," said Samantha, holding her hand up in front of her. "I forget not everyone is fond of Severus."

"You sure seem to be," muttered Harry. He reached out and ran a finger down the edge of his water glass. He suddenly withdrew his hand and sat up straight, pinning her once again with his green eyes.

"You don't think he betrayed us, do you?" asked Harry vehemently. Samantha paled a bit as she stared back at him. Clearing her throat, she reached out for the wine glass in front of her and drained the bit that was left. She set the glass back on the table.

"It doesn't matter what I believe," she said softly, looking back at Harry's face. "No one would ever believe me. No one _does_ believe me. So what's the use of causing problems? When I mention all the things that Severus did for us being a member of the Order, they look at me and roll their eyes, like this is just some theory I made up, like I'm completely insane." She sighed and looked away from Harry. "I'm sorry. This probably doesn't make a bit of sense to you."

"No," whispered Harry, gazing at her with some unidentifiable emotion. "No, it makes perfect sense to me." He sat for a moment lost in thought before he spoke again. "So you still believe that he's loyal to our side, then?"

"Yes, I do," said Samantha. She felt rush of cold nervousness ball in the pit of her stomach. She didn't know if she should be the one to explain what Severus had done that night on the Tower. _Severus, why aren't you here to talk to this boy?_

"What makes you think that?" asked Harry. "Why do you believe that he can murder -" Harry clenched his teeth together. "I saw everything! I saw him -"

"You don't _know_ everything, Mr. Potter," said Samantha gently. "Just like Albus didn't know everything."

"Exactly," growled Harry, pointing an accusing finger at her. "Dumbledore didn't know that that lowlife, slimy bas -"

"Do NOT insult him in my presence," growled Samantha, a fire burning fiercely in her eyes. "Ever. Do we understand one another, Mr. Potter?" Against her will, a tear escaped the corner of her eye and slid down her cheek. "You have no idea. You have no idea how he lived his life, facing death every single day, what he had to go through-"

"So enlighten me, Samantha," said Harry angrily as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Tell me why I should believe you."

_Well, here goes nothing, _thought Samantha. She took a deep breath, and exhaled. She looked to where Remus had walked out of the kitchen and then looked back at Harry.

"Remus knows nothing of what I'm about to tell you. I would prefer him to continue in his ignorance, for it could ruin everything the Order is working on right now." Harry sat up slightly at her tone. "Do I have your word that this will remain in the strictest confidence? You may not speak of this to either Miss Granger or Mr. Weasley, unless I give you word, are we clear?"

"Yes, I promise," said Harry. He leaned forward ever so slightly in his seat, waiting eagerly like some child waiting for ice cream.

"Fine," said Samantha. "I also will not be interrupted. This is quite a long story, and Remus may be back any minute." Harry nodded his head quickly. Samantha took a sip of water from the cup in front of her and began to speak rapidly in a low voice.

"When Remus told me what you had seen that night, something sounded off. Not that your story was wrong or you were lying. You were there; I was not. I was in no position to argue facts. But, like I mentioned earlier, I knew Severus better than most. We were, and still are, very, very close. Severus would never in a million years go back to the Dark Lord's side completely. Ever. Didn't you think it strange that Severus was given the Defense post this past year? I knew then _something _was up. Everyone and their pet owl knows that teaching position is jinxed. Severus knew it. Albus certainly knew it. He would never allow Severus to have it because of the jinx, but Severus applied every year because that's the position the Dark Lord had wanted Severus to hold and to keep up appearances to people like Lucius Malfoy and Carson Crabbe at dinner parties."

"Last summer, when you fought the Death Eaters at the Ministry, Lucius was captured, as you well know. Well, seeing as how he and Bellatrix were in charge of the attack, the Dark Lord was a little peeved. Lucius was put in Azkaban, and the Dark Lord took Bella back with him. Both were demoted from the Dark Lord's Inner Circle, and Severus was promoted to Second-in-Command, the Dark Lord's most trusted advisor." Samantha's lips curled upward at the irony.

"I believe you are familiar with one Draco Malfoy." Harry scowled at her. "Well, Severus is his godfather. Was there when the little dragon was born, has been invited to every single birthday gala since. So, since Daddy was in jail, the Dark Lord needed someone to punish for the failure. Draco is perfect, he thinks. So, the Dark Lord gives Draco the great honor of being the one to kill Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of our age. Draco agrees. The great Lady Malfoy, however, thinks this is a bad idea. She thinks the Dark Lord is sending Draco to his death, so she goes to Severus for help. He's the highest ranking Death Eater, he surely knows of this plan. He's Draco's godfather, he'll be able to do something. Bella follows her to his house, and Narcissa begs him to look after her little boy. She made Severus swear an Unbreakable Vow." At this, Harry nodded.

Samantha acknowledged him with a quick nod. "I see you've heard this bit. Bella never believed Severus was loyal to the Dark Lord after his resurrection. Severus couldn't refuse the Vow or else he'd be fed to Nagini before supper. So he swore to look out for Draco and to help him, but if Draco should fail, Severus had to swear to complete the task."

"Wait, so Snape swore, on pain of death, that if Malfoy failed, he would kill Dumbledore?" asked Harry. He stared in disbelief at Samantha, unable to comprehend her words.

"Yes, exactly," answered Samantha. "Well, naturally Severus told Albus about the Vow. He said that Albus didn't even look worried. He told Severus that everything would be fine. Severus got the Defense job, Slughorn was rehired to teach Potions. Everything's just peachy, except for that damn Vow. School starts. You have your lessons with Albus while Severus tries in vain to get Draco to accept his help. Of course, Draco thinks Severus is just trying to steal the limelight, so he refuses and starts to avoid Severus. Severus and Albus had an argument later in the year. Severus didn't want to spy for Albus anymore, said he couldn't get Draco to talk so they couldn't find a way to get around the Vow. Albus made him promise to continue in his double role, even it if meant killing Albus in the end. Severus was horrified."

She shook her head at Harry. "You have no idea how much Severus loved Albus. Albus was the father Severus always wished to have when he was younger. To be asked to kill the one man he loved as family tore Severus apart. The day Albus died, you and he went off to some cave to find a pretty piece of jewelry that you've got in your pocket, I believe. Severus was forced to play Death Eater that night in order to keep tabs on who knew about the Horcruxes. When he found Albus on the top of the Tower, he said that Albus told him through Legilimency that he was dying, said he drank a fatal potion and to kill him so that Draco wouldn't have to. So Severus did as Albus asked. He cast the curse and ran. Severus told me you followed him. He kept the other Death Eaters from hurting you or capturing you. But I have no reservations in telling you that your coward comment hurt him badly. Severus would never admit that words could hurt him of all people, but that comment certain hit the mark. Of course, I know that you couldn't have had any idea that Severus's loyalties were still true to the Light after witnessing what he did. That was part of the whole point from the Dark Lord's perspective."

Harry sat silently, digesting what Samantha had told him.

"When did you talk to him?" asked Harry, frowning. "It had to have been recently."

"He was at Albus's funeral," said Samantha. "Remus and I had been arguing and I stormed off into the Forest to be alone. I ran across him and made him tell me the truth. I believed him. He was so broken. I had never seen him so lost before. He didn't know what to do. So I told him to continue to pass us information about Death Eater activity and that I would be his new contact inside the Order. No one else in the Order knows any of this. I prefer to keep it that way."

Samantha took another sip of water. She waited for Harry to scoff at her, just like Remus had when she had suggested Severus's innocence. But the young man mulled over her words and seemed to come to a decision.

"Okay, so Snape is still on our side and spying for us, _supposedly_," said Harry. He thought for a moment. "How did he find out about the Horcruxes?"

"Excellent question, Mr. Potter," said Samantha. She paused to listen for Remus's footsteps. Hearing nothing, she continued in a low tone.

"Albus just came out and told Severus about the Horcruxes. Severus said that he had had to help Albus with a nasty curse. Severus stopped it from spreading, but he said that the curse was still weakening him and killing him slowly. So he knows about the one you destroyed a few years back, and the one Albus destroyed last summer. He knows you went to get the locket of Slytherin's. I'm guessing you didn't destroy it yet."

Harry sat back and once again fingered his jacket pocket. He looked at Samantha, and brought out the golden locket.

"I wasn't supposed to tell anyone other than Ron and Hermione about these," said Harry as he held out the locket. "Remus doesn't even know. But since you already know about them, maybe you can help us. Dumbledore and I went to get the locket, but this one's fake. The real Horcrux was taken by some person with the initials R.A.B." Samantha looked up sharply. Harry continued talking, oblivious to Samantha's shock. "Hermione thinks that since they addressed the letter 'To the Dark Lord,' that makes them a Death Eater or a former Death Eater. Here, let me just show you the letter."

Harry opened the locket and removed the small bit of parchment from inside. He held it out to Samantha, who took it with a slightly trembling hand. She unfolded it, and read the letter. The handwriting was unfamiliar, but the signed initials made Samantha sick to her stomach. She only knew of one person with those initials who had been a Death Eater and had died.

Harry seemed to finally notice her distress, and took back the proffered parchment in alarm. He quickly placed it in the locket and stowed it back inside his pocket.

"Do you know who might have written the letter?" asked Harry. "Hermione looked and looked in the library, but she didn't find anything useful."

Samantha lifted her pale face. She swallowed the bile that had risen in her throat. "I might. I'll have to ask Severus to be certain. He would know better than I."

Harry looked at her with a guarded expression. "I'm not saying that you're right about Snape. I never did trust him like Hermione or Dumbledore did. His actions always contradicted his supposed loyalties." He paused in thought and sighed. "If he's willing to help me find these other Horcruxes, then I might be willing to give him another chance. But," he said, lifting a single finger in the air. "If he so much as lies just a little to you or gives us fake information, I swear, I will kill him with my bare hands."

"We have an accord, then, Mr. Potter," said Samantha. She held her hand out across the table. Harry grabbed it firmly and gave it a shake. They had just broken apart when Remus entered the room.

"Hope you two have had things to talk about," said Remus jovially. "I apologize for being such a rotten host."

"Don't fret, Remus," said Samantha. "Mr. Potter and I have enjoyed our conversation thoroughly."

"Excellent," said Remus. He spotted Harry's empty plate. "Do you want another slice of cake, Harry?"

Harry smiled.

"I would love one."


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: Hmm...most intriguing. Some of you like this Harry, some of you don't so much. You will find that I am much kinder to Harry as a character than I am to Ron and Hermione. I feel that of the three of them, Harry is the one with the greatest capacity for empathy, which is admittedly one of the big themes of S & A. In later chapters, the dinner scene will be revisited and explained by Mr. Potter. You must forgive me my OCC-ness. I am not Rowling, unfortunately; therefore, there are bound to be discrepancies.**_

_** Now, on with the show...  
**_

**Chapter 6- Dreams and Nighttime Strategy**

_Your desire to my heart is an absolute commandment.- The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia: Sir Philip Sidney_

The night grew later and later as the three of them sat around Remus's table, talking of many unconnected things. Severus wasn't mentioned again, although Samantha and Harry shared several knowing looks. The topics for conversation slowly dried up. Remus stood and cleared the table, setting the dishes in the sink to washing with a casual flick of his wand.

"Well, Harry," said Remus, as he moved to stand behind his chair. "I'd better get you back to the Burrow before Molly sends half her kids after me." He ruffled Harry's hair affectionately.

"Right," said Harry. The boy stood and stretched. "Thanks for dinner, Remus. Everything was really good."

"Glad you enjoyed it," said Remus. "Maybe you can come back over before you and the other two leave on your trip."

"Oh," said Harry, looking everywhere but at Remus. "Yeah. Maybe." He turned to where Samantha had stood to leave. "It was really nice meeting you, Sam. I really enjoyed our talk."

Samantha smiled at him has she took his proffered hand. "As did I, Mr. Potter." She gave him a knowing look as she released his hand. "I'm sure I'll talk to you again soon."

Harry nodded his head and walked over to where Remus was standing in the doorway leading to hall. Remus nodded at Samantha.

"Hey Sami, I'm just gonna floo over and make sure that Harry gets back okay. If you don't mind, would you wait for me? I want to talk to you about something." He gave her a very pointed look that was not lost on Harry.

"Sure, Remus," said Samantha. She glanced at Harry when Remus turned his back to walk out of the room. She mouthed the word _later_ at him, and he turned to follow Remus.

Ever since last year when Severus was trying to teach Harry Occlumency and found him dreaming of the Prophecy Room, he had begged Albus to give the boy Order information. Not everything, Severus had said, but enough to where the boy would be aware of what was going on behind the scenes. Albus had refused, seconded by Molly Weasley's tearful pleas for Harry, and by extension Ron, Hermione and Ginny, to be kept out of the Order until they finished with school. Although Severus agreed with Molly's concerns, he felt the dangers of them rushing into situations without full knowledge would be even more life-threatening. Samantha had agreed with Severus along with, much to Severus's surprise, Sirius and Remus as well. But Albus had sternly and firmly told the four of them that Harry was not to be told anything under any circumstances.

Samantha had left that meeting frustrated. Severus left furious. After the Ministry fiasco with the Death Eaters, and Sirius being killed, Albus had apologized to Severus, saying that he had told Harry everything, including the Prophecy's contents, which he had never told to Severus for obvious reasons, and everything Albus knew about Harry's scar and the protection that Lily had given him through her death.

However, Samantha was not about to let this young man be left in the dark again. She knew both Molly and Arthur felt strongly that the kids should still not be inducted into the Order, even though they were of age and deserved to be given the chance to fight the war they were already fighting. Remus felt similarly, the loss of Sirius hitting him hard and the fear of losing Harry close to the surface. She would have to talk to Severus, and find some way to get the information to the kids as they looked for the Horcruxes.

Samantha heard the fireplace flare to life in the other room. She walked out into the hall and saw Remus still brushing ash off his clothes. He waved a hand towards the sitting room and waited for Samantha to go in front of him.

Seated in much the same way she and Harry had been earlier that night, Samantha waited silently for Remus to start talking.

"Arthur and Molly agreed to move the wedding to the day before," said Remus. "Molly's already working on contacting the Delacours and the extended Weasley members about the date change. The only explanation she's giving them is for "security reasons." No one outside the Order will know the real reason. The kids won't be told either to avoid them wanting to stay and help." Remus glared at her to reinforce his point.

"Alright, Remus," said Samantha, "I won't tell Harry anything about what the Order is planning for the attack."

"Right, well, they'll be at Headquarters on the first with Molly," said Remus. "Bill and Fleur will be gone to Egypt and Ginny will be at the Lovegoods visiting Luna. We've scheduled an Order meeting for tomorrow night at Headquarters. Nine o'clock. We'll discuss logistics and plan the ambush then."

Samantha nodded and got up from the chair. She grabbed her cloak off the hooks by the door and draped it around her shoulders. Remus kissed her cheek.

"I'll see you tomorrow night, Sami," said Remus as he straightened her cloak.

"Thanks for everything, Remus," said Samantha. "Dinner was wonderful. I really enjoyed meeting Mr. Potter. He is an excellent dinner companion."

Remus smiled. "That he is, my dear. That he is." He watched as Samantha turned and disapparated. He clapped his hands once, and the lights went off in the front part of the house.

* * *

Severus sat in his bedroom, staring at the empty owl cage hanging in the corner. A pale finger traced the outline of his thin lips in the darkness of the room. They had only a few days. He was worried Samantha wouldn't be able to do anything to get the ceremony moved. If he had to attack the wedding, there was no way he could keep someone from being killed. No way to guarantee their safety from the idiots who had been chosen to accompany him on this mission. 

He'd received a note earlier from a black eagle owl. The bird had nearly bitten Severus's finger off when he reached for the black envelope. Inside, Severus found a list of names along with a time, place to rendezvous, and specific instructions not to fatally wound Potter. Bellatrix, Pettigrew, Nicolas Goyle, Gibbons, and about ten other names that Severus couldn't match to a face. He had stared in shock at reading the last five.

_Draco Malfoy_

_Pansy Parkinson_

_Gregory Goyle_

_Vincent Crabbe_

_Theodore Nott_

_  
_Severus shook his head. Not only was he to be expected to attack most of the Order, but he was to take untrained kids along. This was a nightmare.

So, he sat in the dark, waiting for word from Sam, thinking of anything to stop the scenarios of bleeding kids with pleading eyes that were running rampant through his mind. Madeline had been gone the entire day, so he had been unable to send this new information to Sam. He didn't dare send a Patronus message while the rat was still awake. Thankfully, Wormtail went to bed fairly early and slept late.

Severus started at the sound of tapping on the window. He cursed his jumpiness, and wrenched open the glass pane. Madeline flew in and landed on the desk. Severus didn't notice the letter attached to her leg as he absently petted her wing.

"Ow!" cried Severus as Madeline bit his finger hard. Severus put his bleeding knuckle in his mouth and glared at the bird. The bird glared back and gave an impatient hoot.

"Don't look at me like that, you little vixen," said Severus, seeing the moonlight glint off white parchment. "If you didn't notice, it's dark in here."

Madeline held still as Severus took the letter from her. She fluffed her tail at him and flew over to her cage, her back to Severus.

"Yes, fine, whatever," muttered Severus as he lit a single candle sitting on the desk. The light skimmed across the name 'Gabriel' in green ink. Severus broke the blank seal and pulled out the parchment.

_My dearest Gabriel -_

_  
My moonlit dinner was phenomenal! The green-eyed terror turned out to be quite the conversationalist once he got a grasp on my knowledge of jewelry. I mentioned you and your knowledge of antiques. He seemed hesitant at first to accept your expertise in the area, but I convinced him that you did indeed know what you're talking about. He said to contact him with any more advice you might have about other antiques._

_  
The family heirloom that Blue Sparkles and the green-eyed terror came by was a fake. I don't know if Blue Sparkles knew it. Turns out the real one was misplaced by one of your former business associates. I will need your assistance in deciphering the code he left for the father of the family._

_Some friends are having a little get-together tomorrow evening at the old place. The Patriarch wants to see if he can prevent it from raining on his parade. Mama Bear is tracking down white rabbits overseas. I hope you don't mind me borrowing your proposal for the big feast. I didn't think red hares would eat it if they knew it was from you. The Moon frowns on the children serving dessert, but I think that some blackbird pies might be nice. Three would be more than enough._

_  
I miss you, my sweet Gabriel. Remember that falcons fly fast after parties._

_  
Je t'aime, mon amour, avec tout mon coeur,  
Haydyn_

_Thank Merlin, _thought Severus as he slumped in relief. _Sam, you're brilliant, love!_ He read the first two paragraphs again. For once in his life, Potter was showing signs of true intelligence. Brilliant. But the Horcrux Potter had was a fake! Severus ran a hand through his shoulder-length hair. _Damn it to hell, Albus! _screamed Severus mentally. _Misplaced by former associate, _he read. He looked up and narrowed his eyes in thought. A Death Eater had stolen the locket and was stupid enough to leave a note to the Dark Lord confessing?

He stood and walked to the window, the letter in the hand by his side. This person would have to have had deep knowledge of the Dark Arts - Inner Circle or Wizarding dynasty with a large, extensive library. _Well, _thought Severus, _that narrows us down to about 50 possible candidates._ He sighed. He would have to wait and talk to Sam in person.

The Order meeting would be tomorrow, planning and strategy most likely. Sam had told them _she_ thought of changing the date. Perfect. He raised the letter to reread the last bit. _The Moon frowns on children…_Lupin. The idiot. Severus sneered at the thought of the werewolf protecting his cubs now, of all times. _Three blackbird pies…_ Severus chuckled to himself and shook his head. It was an inspired idea. Potter, for all his reckless rushing into danger, was an excellent flyer. Severus hated him for it. He had watched James Potter fly circles around him on the pitch, showing off for the crowd. Then, to make matters worse, Severus had to watch as the Gryffindor chosen child did it to his godson. Sickening. The youngest Weasley boy was also not a bad flyer. Granger, he'd heard, was a lost cause. But if she stayed inside the Burrow…

Severus glided over to his desk and found some parchment and a quill. He drew a sketch layout of the Burrow and wrote. Signing it with a bit of a flourish, he rolled it up and tapped the parchment with his wand. He raised it towards the wall and a white fox leapt through the wall.

* * *

_Samantha was sitting in a chair near the fireplace. She loved this chair. It was the only one in the entire commons room that wasn't falling apart or so far away from the fireplace as to leave the occupant shivering from the cold. Even in June, the dungeons were still cold enough at night to warrant cloaks and blankets. But the warmth from the fireplace was comforting. The craziness of N.E.W.T.s had taken its toll on everyone. Samantha's last exam was the next morning. She had always done well in Charms, but she still sat up late, rereading the last few chapters of _Quintessence, A Quest. _She heard light footsteps behind her. She tensed in her chair, her hands gripping the book tightly. She exhaled in relief when the night walker spoke._

_"Sam, what are you still doing up?" asked a young man as he walked around the back of her chair. His hair was pulled back from his face, throwing his sharp features into relief, the firelight flickering over his porcelain white skin. His shirt was untucked, his green and silver-striped tie hanging loose around his neck. The boyish grin on his face made him look younger than his eighteen years._

_  
"I could ask you the same thing, Gabriel," said Sam. She closed her book and looked up at him, her arms resting on the arms of the chair. "I was just doing a bit of revising for Charms. I couldn't remember the exact wand movement for -"_

_"Haydyn, you remember everything," said Severus, rolling his eyes. "Your mind's a damn sponge. I'll have you know, it's quite irritating to sit next to you in Charms and watch Flitwick fawn all over you, while it takes me the whole class _and_ extra practice to get the incantations down. So, just for that --" He suddenly grabbed both her arms and yanked her up out of the chair, her book falling loudly on the floor. Before she could make a sound of shock, he was sitting in her chair as if a king on a throne. She glared at him and placed her fists on her hips. Severus smirked at her fury._

_"Severus Gabriel Snape, get out of my chair now!" whispered Samantha fiercely._

_  
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry," said Severus with mock worry, "but-" he looked down at the chair on either side, "I don't see your name on it." He turned to look at the back of the chair and shrugged. "Nope. Not one 'Samantha Haydyn McKinnon' anywhere in sight. Lend me your wand, and I'll see if it's written in invisible ink."_

_  
"You are such an irritating, conceited, poncing little -" growled Samantha._

_"Ah, ah, ah," said Severus teasingly, shaking a single thin finger at her. "I will have no name calling in my presence. That is so beneath a lady of your standing within the noble house of Slytherin."  
_

_  
Samantha gave him a sly grin and walked slowly towards him. She saw a brief flash of worry in his eyes as she got closer. Placing a hand on each of his shoulders, effectively pinning him to the back of the chair, she straddled him with a leg on either side of his and sat on his lap._

_ "How about this?" whispered Samantha. She slowly raised her hands to cup his face and gazed into the dark pools of his eyes._

_  
"Do not start something you do not want to finish, my dear Haydyn," said Severus breathily. He grabbed her hands in his own. "Please, Samantha, we can't do this. I'm too dangerous for you to be around. We can't- "_

_  
Samantha leaned forward next to his ear. "Severus," she whispered, "I will not be pushed away. You've done it for so long now. I choose you. It's always been you. But it is up to you to decide if you want this." She leaned back to gaze into his eyes._

_  
They sat silently in the firelight. Samantha watched several emotions flash in his eyes - desire, fear, love - each one only visible for the briefest time. He stared at her, not saying a word. Samantha lowered her head in embarrassment. She had ruined the only wonderful thing she had. She had practically thrown herself at him. Severus, her best friend. The friend she had fallen so hard for. How could she have been so stupid as to think he wanted something more?_

_  
Severus placed her hands onto the chair's arms. She began to get up to apologize profusely when he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. His other hand settled on the side of her neck, his thumb brushing her jaw line. He sat forward and pressed his lips to her neck, his tongue darting out to taste her skin with each kiss. Samantha closed her eyes as he trailed kisses to her cheek._

_  
"My beautiful Samantha," whispered Severus against her lips._

_  
The kiss was so soft, so tender, that Samantha felt as if she were melting. His tongue touched her lips, asking permission. She opened and met him with her own. She reached up and pulled the ribbon out of his hair. The silky locks spilled over her hands as she ran her hands through his hair. Severus slid his hands around her waist, slipping them under the edge of her blouse to touch the smooth skin of her back. Samantha arched at the feel of his hands, warm and slightly callused, on her bare skin. Severus took the opportunity to kiss her neck, her collarbone, the hollow of her throat. He looked up to kiss her again…_

_  
_All of the sudden, Samantha saw a bright white light shine harshly through her eyelids. Not wanting to wake up from her dream, she turned over in the hopes of escaping the intruding glare. But the light was unrelenting. She opened her eyes, and saw a blurry shape jumping up and down on the bed beside her.

She sat up quickly, fully awake. She blinked her eyes several times to clear her vision. The white light slowly solidified into the shape of a fox.

"Damn," she muttered, flopping back in the bed. She reached out her hand, feeling for her wand on her bedside table. She raised the length of ebony wood to touch the Patronus. Grabbing the parchment from her wand, she watched the little fox dissipate into the darkness of her room. She closed her eyes briefly, trying to recapture the feel of sweet, slow kisses…

She snorted softly in frustration. Samantha got up out of bed, throwing on her black dressing robe. She lit the candle on her desk and unrolled the parchment.

_To the most intelligent, clever, beautiful woman on the face of the whole earth-_

_Samantha, my love, have I told you how much I absolutely adore you? You are brilliant! I'll see what I can dig up for Potter. Maybe you can teach them Patronus Messaging before they head off into the great unknown._

_  
I will have to find some way to meet you to talk about this missive from our thieving Death Eater. Get all the clues Potter will let you have. If we can figure out who wrote the letter, we may be able to uncover clues about the other bits of the Dark Lord. See if you can find out when Potter's planning on leaving._

_I think having the kids on brooms the day of the attack is a great idea. Unfortunately, Granger will be of no use in the air, but Potter and Weasley will be invaluable. Have them watch for some signal from you to start an aerial attack. Disillusion them (do NOT let Potter use his cloak) and the brooms. Convince Granger to aim from a window on an upper floor of the house. I've included a sketch of the best areas for stationing her. Good luck dealing with any babysitters or raging, overprotective werewolves._

_I received the list of my charges for the attack. No one of note, power-wise. Bella and Wormtail will be there, but other than that, there should be no fear. However, the Dark Lord has deemed this mission as prime training ground for 5 young recruits. Draco, Parkinson, Nott, and the younger Crabbe and Goyle will be among my legion of sycophants. I can't have them excluded without raising suspicion. We're to be in Ottery St. Catchpole at 12:30, so make sure your team is there and ready by then._

_Well, I have nothing more to report, love. I will eagerly await any fast-flying falcons tomorrow night. Should darkness fall, I'll send word to you, either with Madeline or by Patronus._

_  
God, I miss you, Sam. I think about you all the time, love. Can't wait to see you again. Be ready on Saturday._

_  
With all my heart, mind, and soul,  
Severus_

_  
_Tears were streaming down Samantha's face as she read the last lines of the letter. This, coupled with the dream, made her chest constrict painfully with longing for Severus. A sob escaped her lips as she walked back to her bed. She buried her head in her pillow and cried herself to sleep, Severus's letter sitting on top of her desk.


	7. Chapter 7

**_A/N: Just a side note...I know some of you probably have the layout of Number 12 Grimmauld Place down by heart. I don't. My layout is a little different. So don't crucify me for it. I am aware of it._**

**Chapter 7- The Preparation of Blackbird Pies**

_A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.-Sir Francis Bacon_

The next day passed with excruciating sluggishness. Samantha had woken up depressed and was sullen the entire day at work, mechanically working through the day's stack of reports. She left a few minutes early and apparated to her flat. She sat wearily at her kitchen table, a cup of tea slowly cooling in front of her, completely lost in thought, worrying about Saturday and Severus. She eventually heard the hall clock chime eight-fifteen.

_Enough of this,_ thought Samantha, _everything's going to work out fine. He'll be fine._ She went to the sitting room and pulled a book off her shelf at random to look at until the meeting. As she was sitting down to peruse a never-opened copy of _Quidditch Through the Ages_ that Severus had given her one year as a joke, she saw a large parcel wrapped in brown paper on the coffee table. She eased out her wand, pointing it at the package. She cast several detection charms, all of them showing nothing malicious. She walked over to the table, lighting the overhead lantern to see the package better. The paper was tied with twine, securing an unsealed envelope to the top. She pulled it off and opened the note.

_Haydyn,_

_Take care of these for me, love. I didn't want anything to happen to them, just in case it decided to flood from the rain storm. Some of them may be of use to any terrors, squires, or brains you may be acquainted with, although please remind them to take excellent care of my books. They are some of my most prized and important texts and they will be paying for any damages in more than galleons as I will take it out of their worthless hides. I may send you more if I deem it necessary._

_Je t'aime,  
Gabriel_

_  
P.S. Be cautious of loaning the darker texts._

_  
_Samantha frowned a little at the package. It didn't bode well that Severus was sending her things just in case something happened. The panicked feeling she had been trying to ignore all day came back with a vengeance. She pulled on the twine and pushed the paper aside.

_The Extensive Guide to Occlumency, The Occlumens Hand Guide,_ battered and worn copies of _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi _and _Magical Drafts and Potions, Curses and Counter-curses, Confronting the Faceless, Moste Potente Potions, The Dark Arts: Curses, Hexes, Jinxes and Potions, vol. 1, Quintessence: A Quest _and _Guide to Advanced Transfiguration. _Samantha stacked the books in one pile with the letter on top and levitated them behind her as she walked to her room, looking around for a safe place to hide them. Anyone who knew her well would immediately spot these and think them out of place. She opened her closet and found her old school trunk sitting on the floor. She knelt and brushed a hand over the fading silver _S.H.M. _before lifting the lid and placing the books safely inside. She cast a locking charm on the trunk and walked over to the secret drawer in the desk, Severus's letter in hand. She was about to close the drawer when she saw the letter he had sent her the night before. Hoping that no one else had been inside her house that day, she slipped it into the drawer and closed it with a twisting of the handle. She quickly changed from her black robes into a pair of black trousers and a black tank top.

She walked back down the hall and saw that it was nearly nine. She grabbed a jacket from the hall closet, swinging it over her shoulders, and disapparated to the park in Grimmauld Square. Samantha pulled the hood of her jacket over her head and walked quickly down the street. She stood between Numbers 11 and 13 and thought of the words she had memorized so long ago. Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix appeared out of thin air. Samantha walked up the steps quickly and knocked three times on the heavy door.

Molly opened the door and let Samantha inside, closing the door quickly behind her. Samantha walked down the hall to the kitchen, where she sat next to Remus. He and Arthur were already talking about the layout of the Burrow, leaning over parchments with various sketches of the house and garden drawn in hurried ink. Moody, Kingsley and Tonks were standing in a corner, talking in low tones. Other members were milling about, some with cups of coffee or hot chocolate. McGonagall sat in a chair at the end of the table, her hand rubbing her eyes, while Hagrid stood slightly crouched in the corner of the room.

Molly walked in and spoke softly in Remus's ear. He nodded back at her and stood up from the table.

"If everyone will have a seat, we'll go ahead and get started," said Remus. Everyone shuffled to find a seat as Remus walked to the head of the table, where a chair sat vacant. "As some of you know, we've received intelligence that Bill and Fleur's wedding will be attacked. So, in the interest of safety, the couple agreed to move the actual ceremony to the day before, which is Friday. It'll start at 7pm, so that those of you who work will have a chance at making it after you get off. The guest list is just close family and friends, most of whom are in this room."

"Now, wait just a minute," growled Moody, his electric-blue eye swiveling rapidly. "Where did we get this so-called 'intelligence' and can it be trusted?"

Samantha cleared her throat and gained the eyes of the room's occupants. "I got a letter from an old school friend saying that an attack was being planned for Saturday. I thought it prudent to have some sort of plan, even if the information was less than reliable. Bill and Fleur should not have to remember their wedding day as the day someone died."

Moody sat back in his chair, both of his eyes fixed on Samantha's face. She held his gaze with an unreadable expression on her face. "And you just believed this 'friend' and their word? Just like that? For all you know, this could be a trap and your 'friend' could be setting us up. Or your friend could really be someone else pretending to be your 'friend.'"

"My friend and I use code names from when we were in school," said Samantha. "Absolutely no one knows these names. You can ask Remus if you don't believe me. I know the letter was from my friend and I trust this friend with my life. This person would never deliberately put me in danger, nor anyone else they knew was close to me." Samantha thought back to what Severus had told her about convincing them to believe her. Slytherin cunning, indeed. "My friend would never lie to me. Not about something as important as this."

"At any rate," said Arthur, ending the glaring contest between Moody and Samantha, "I would feel better knowing that my son and future daughter-in-law will be safe, rather than waiting until it's too late."

"Right," said Remus quickly, stalling any more arguments. "They don't know that we've moved it, so everything should be fine. Here's the plan. The Anti-Apparition wards have been reinforced, so no one will be able to apparate directly into either the Burrow or the garden nor will they be able to apparate out once they're there. There are also protective wards around the outer boundaries of the property, but those can be broken by someone with enough know-how and patience." He pointed to the parchments on the table. "The team will be made up of myself, Arthur, Hestia, Doge and Samantha. Moody, Kingsley and Tonks will be there to help and will also act as Ministry representatives after the attack is over. Each of you will need to floo to the Burrow no later than 12:30 on Saturday, since the wedding was scheduled to begin at 1. The Weasleys' fireplace will be password protected, the password given to the team members via Patronus later on tonight. Each team member will need to study the maps to know where they are stationed and where the other team members will be. Any questions?"

Everyone looked around, by no one raised their hand or spoke up. Remus nodded.

"Alright then, as for the ceremony on Friday night, everything should be fine. Several of us will be Disillusioned and stationed around the perimeter of the house, but I don't expect there to be any trouble. The reception will probably be kept pretty short, as some of the Weasleys and the Delacours will need to travel back home before the next day. Another important note -" Remus paused to make sure everyone was listening. "The kids are not to know _anything_ about the attack. Harry, Ron and Hermione have already been told that the three of them will be coming here while the protective wards around and inside the Burrow are rechecked and reinforced. Molly will be accompanying them here and will stay with them until a team member reports back to her and gives the all clear. Ginny will be visiting Luna Lovegood. She'll go home with them after the wedding."

Samantha sat up straight in her chair, thinking quickly. If she could get Molly to take her place on the team, she could volunteer to keep the kids at Headquarters. That way, she could get them back to the Burrow for the aerial attack without anyone knowing…

"Hey Remus," said Samantha, faking a thoughtful look, "what about if we had Molly take my place on the team? She knows the layout of the Burrow probably better than any of us. She would be able to watch for any weak spots while the attack happened." She paused here for effect, pretending to be thinking it through. "I could take the kids and bring them here. I would love the chance to get to talk to Mr. Potter again and also to meet Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger. What do you think?"

Remus looked thoughtful. Looking at Arthur, Samantha saw that he was not at all excited about this. Molly looked at Arthur, then at Samantha.

"I think Samantha's got a good point," said Molly. Arthur's eyes widened at her, but she continued. "This is my house we're talking about. I'm not about to let some slimy Death Eaters attack _my_ _house_ while I sit here with the children. I want to defend my home. I trust Samantha with the kids." She looked at Arthur pleadingly. "Arthur?"

Arthur sighed and grabbed one of Molly's hands in his own. He nodded.

"Alright, then, change of plan," said Remus, "Sami, the kids are flooing over early Saturday morning. If you could be here before nine to meet them -"

"Will do, Remus," said Samantha, careful to not sound too excited. She forced her body to stay relaxed so as to not give her anything away. Moody was still regarding her warily.

"Alright, if no one has anything else to add," said Remus, looking around the room. The room was silent.

"Okay, we're done for tonight," said Remus. "Make sure if you're on the team, that you know what's going on. All members will meet back here at 3 on Saturday afternoon for debriefing. Thanks."

Samantha stood with everyone else, taking a cup of tea that Kingsley handed her. She walked over to the corner, sipping her drink and watching the others engage in conversation. She caught Moody eyeing her from across the room. She clenched her jaw when he made his way towards her.

"I'm watching you, Ives," he said in a low growl. "We've had enough _snakes_ slither through our nets. If I find out you've led us on, there'll be hell to pay, you get me?"

"Yes," said Samantha frostily. She stared straight into his horribly mismatched eyes. "But I assure you, the intelligence is solid."

"Well, we'll just see about that," said Moody. He gave her a sneer and limped out of the room, his wooden leg thunking heavily on the floor. Samantha lifted her cup, surprised to see her hand shaking slightly in anger. She took a deep breath and exhaled. As she calmed down, she caught bits of Ministry business being discussed, along with questions about Hogwarts being open in the fall. After a while, the mention of Severus's name caught her attention.

"He was a no-good, lying murderer," said Hagrid in a gruff voice. "I can't believe he would go and do summat like that after what Dumbledore said-"

She set her cup on the table, feeling sick to her stomach. She brushed quickly by Arthur, Molly and Remus, who gave her a curious look. She walked to the door and wrenched it open, the cold night air swallowing her as she descended the front steps. She pulled up the hood of her jacket and ran to the park to disapparate home.

Since it was only about 10:15 when she arrived back at her flat, she waited before messaging Severus. From what he had told her last year, Pettigrew went to bed around 11 each evening and she did not want him, of all people, to see her messaging Severus. She sat down in her sitting room, grabbing the discarded Quidditch book she had pulled earlier. She ran a hand over the cover, thinking back to days of waving banners and after-match parties...

_It was the last match of the season. The fifth years had yet to start cracking down on revising for their O.W.L.s. The House banners flapped gently in the soft April breeze, the sun casting a warm glow over the pitch. The stadium bleachers were solid walls of red and gold opposite silver and green. The volatile atmosphere that had been brewing inside the castle for the past week was threatening to explode._

_  
Samantha stood in the front row, decked out in her House colors. Her face was painted, one half metallic silver, the other, deep forest green, her black hair pulled back in a ponytail. This match would determine who won the Quidditch Cup. Slytherin had held the Cup for the last two years running, defeating Gryffindor both times in brutal, physical matches that usually ended up with three or more players in the hospital wing and Madam Pomfrey screaming at another two to put away their wands._

_  
Severus had been so excited for this match. His captain had scheduled practices every single day for the past week, causing Severus to be behind on his reading and homework in every single class. He and Samantha had taken to sitting by the fireplace late at night, Severus so exhausted from practice that he could barely stay awake, going over and over charm incantations, transfiguration wand movements, and disgustingly long defense essays._

_  
She had seen him at breakfast in the Hall before the match. His face was bright with anticipation as he sat with the rest of the team, none of them eating any of the food on their plates but telling the others to eat. She sat across the table from her best friend, giving him the biggest grin she could manage._

_  
"So, Severus, you ready for this?" she asked, grabbing some toast from the platter in front of her._

_  
"You know it, Sam!" he answered. "James Potter will be face down on the pitch after I'm through with him today, along with that idiot Sirius Black."_

_  
"Just don't do anything stupid, like getting yourself banned from playing next year," said Samantha seriously. "You have a really good chance of making captain next year, you know, with both Bletchley and Higgs graduating."_

_  
"I know, I know," said Severus, rolling his eyes. "No biting, no scratching, no surreptitious cursing, hexing or jinxing. Thank you, Miss Ref. Your concerns are duly noted."_

_  
The captain stood and looked down the table at his team. He motioned his head towards the pitch and walked towards the doors of the Great Hall. Severus stood and followed Carson Crabbe. Samantha got up quickly and grabbed Severus by his sleeve as he neared the doors, pulling him back from the rest of the team._

_"Good luck today, Gabriel," she whispered. "I'll be cheering for you in the front row." She stood on her tip toes and kissed his cheek. Several of the nearby Hufflepuffs whistled cat calls at them, while a couple of Ravenclaws wiggled their eyebrows suggestively. Samantha saw Severus reach for his wand and pushed him towards the door before he could pull it all the way out._

_"Go, before you do something - stupid," she said, with a warning look in her eyes. Severus frowned at her, but ran out to catch up with the others. Samantha turned and walked right into a moving wall of red._

_  
"Wow, McKinnon, didn't know you had a thing for little grease balls," said James Potter as he ran a hand through his scruffy-looking hair. Sirius stood behind him, snickering._

_  
"Potter, do you ever come up with any original material?" asked Samantha in a bored tone. "Your lack of wit and creativity is appalling. I'm so glad Lily can see this as well. I always knew she was an intelligent woman of high standards." Just then, a girl with flaming red hair and wicked green eyes pushed her way past James, giving him a smirk and smiling at Samantha._

_  
"Hey there, Sam," said Lily with a sly grin on her face. "You're rooting for the Red and Gold today, right?"_

_"Lily Evans, that's not _even _funny," said Samantha as she walked with Lily out of the Hall, both girls completely ignoring a blushing James and chuckling Sirius. "I'm a proud member of the house of Slytherin, my dear Gryffindor. I will be supporting my best friend who will pound your team into next year. Speaking of which, I've gotta go get my paint on. We still on for our study party tomorrow in the library?"_

_  
"Sure thing, Sam," said Lily as she walked towards the front doors. "I'll see you then if not before. May the best House win."_

_  
"Later, Lily," said Samantha as she ran towards the staircase to the dungeons. "Oh, and bring your Potions book with you. I still don't get that thing Slughorn was harping on last Thursday."_

_"Will do, Sam."_

_  
This match proved to be even more brutal than in previous years. Every foul was matched and bested by one from the opposing team. Severus had scored eight times, helping the score reach 220-150, Slytherin. Potter and Black were looking murderous as they tried daring moves around the Slytherin Chasers while still trying to dodge bludgers from Carson Crabbe and Nicolas Goyle. Samantha screamed with the rest of her housemates when Higgs and the Gryffindor Seeker went racing down the middle of the pitch, disrupting a formation the Gryffindor Chasers were trying to execute. The two Seekers jostled each other back and forth, reaching out for the Snitch. Professor McGonagall was on her feet, screaming louder than anyone and leaning dangerously close to the edge of the commentator's box. After an intense struggle, Higgs reached out and grabbed the Snitch, sending the green wall into a riotous frenzy._

_  
Samantha raced out of the bleachers and down onto the pitch. The Slytherin team landed in a huge pile of cheering bodies and flailing broomsticks. Severus saw her as he untangled himself from his teammates. He ran to meet her, hugging her waist and twirling her in the air._

_"WE WON! WE WON! WE WON!" he shouted. He set her back on the ground and grabbed her hand. Together, they ran off the pitch back towards the castle. They had a party to get started._

Samantha shook her head, her eyes refocusing on the book in her hand. Sighing, she rose from her chair and put it back in its place on the bookshelf behind her. She walked down the hall and glanced quickly at the clock. She stopped and looked back again, sure she had read the time wrong. But both of the silver hands pointed straight up.

_I've really got to stop this daydreaming,_ thought Samantha as she rubbed her eyes. She continued on to her bedroom to send Severus the message about what the Order had decided on.

_To my beloved Severus Gabriel -_

_  
I got your package, love. Don't ever scare me like that again. Thought it was some tainted or hexed box, just sitting on my coffee table. Anyway, your books are in a safe place, never fear._

_  
Order meeting was short and sweet - just the way we like them. Here's the skinny:_

_There will be a team of select Phoenixers at the Burrow on Saturday. They're all flooing over at 12:30: Arthur, Remus, Elphias and Hestia. Moody, Shacklebolt and Tonks will be there as well for clean-up crew. There will be protection wards to break through. There will also be apparition wards up (Moody reinforced them, so please don't try and test them, lest you be covered in who-knows-what kind of disgusting and nasty hex Moody set into it). Oh, but that's not even the best part. You're gonna love this.  
_

_I convinced Remus and Arthur to switch me off the team and put Molly in my place. She was supposed to take the Trio to the 12 "so that the wards around the Burrow could be tested." I know, it's such a lame excuse and I'm sure our little blackbirds saw right through it. So, I will be meeting the kids at the 12 early Saturday morning. I'll have to mess with a portkey, but I'm not too worried about that -- Project Blackbird Pie will be a go! You can congratulate me on my Slytherin cunning later. I'll inform them of the plan the night of the wedding. I know that's kind of cutting it close, but I can't just pop over to the Burrow without it being weird._

_  
I think we'd better wait until after Saturday to mess with our thieving Death Eater. Potter has the fake locket with the letter, so maybe I can make a copy of it. We'll discuss that in more detail later._

_I've been thinking about you a lot lately. I wish there was some way to keep you safe and have you pass us information at the same time. This whole mission is too risky for my taste. I can't lose you to him. I will not allow it._

_Good luck on Saturday._

_  
Avec amour,  
Haydyn_

She shot off the Patronus and slowly got ready for bed. Just as she turned off the lights and pulled the covers up, Severus's fox shot in through the window. Wondering what else he could have needed after reading her message, she touched the Patronus with her wand and read the short message.

_To my love:_

_  
Yet for me there is only one city.  
In that city there is for me only one house;  
And in that house one room only;  
And in that room a bed.  
And one woman sleeps there,  
The shining joy and jewel of my kingdom._

_  
No more despair, my love. We'll get through this together. I love you more than you know, my sweet, sweet Samantha Haydyn. Keep yourself and our blackbirds safe. I will see you soon, I promise._

_  
All my love,  
Gabriel_

_  
P.S. Could you imagine the look on Albus's face if he knew what his little messaging system was being used for._

_  
_Samantha chuckled at the postscript. She set the letter on her bedside table along with her wand and fell asleep, a content smile gracing her face.

**_A/N2:__ Alas, our dear Severus is not a poet. His poem is an anonymous Sanskrit poem, translated by John Brough._**


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N: Thanks to all who have reviewed. I appreciate all forms of feedback. As to a good question raised by a reviewer, "revising" does, in this story, take on the British definition, which refers to studying for an exam. I am but a American girl from Texas, so my terms may occilate between the venaculars. I apologise for this minor inconsistancy. My quotes come from the wonderful database site They've got some keepers...**_

_** I will be gone this weekend, so you get a double shot today! Lucky you...I will post again on Sunday afternoon. Enjoy!  
**_

**Chapter 8- Fang, Phlegm and a Little Dessert**

_The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.- Edmund Burke_

Friday dawned gorgeously sunny. Samantha left work at her usual time, apparating back to her flat at around 5. She ran around hurriedly, getting herself ready for the wedding. Her silky green dress robes were trimmed in silver. Severus had teased her when he had first seen them, commenting on how her entire wardrobe consisted of black and Slytherin green. Samantha had responded with an appropriate and well-timed kettle-pot remark. After that, he didn't say anything more about her clothing.

The garden behind the Burrow was exquisitely decorated for the ceremony. She arrived at 6:30 and walked slowly into the garden, saying hello to Molly as the red-headed woman straightened Bill's robes and once again offered to cut his hair. She looked up at the white fairies that had been conjured and hung like a canopy over the entire garden, giving off a soft glow in the fading twilight. The fence leading into the garden was covered in white chrysanthemums, dotted every now and then with pink roses. Samantha marveled at how something that had been so rushed could be so elegant and beautiful, as if it had taken weeks to decorate.

She spotted an empty seat next to Doge and Kingsley. Kingsley said hello as she sat down, and then turned to talk quietly to Doge. She smiled down the row at Harry, who returned it and gave a small wave. Samantha saw the brown-headed girl next to him ask Harry something. He looked to be explaining who she was, because the girl looked at Samantha with a curious look. Samantha smiled at her and waved. The girl waved back a little unsure, and Harry began to talk to her again.

The ceremony was short and simple. The wizard who had performed Albus's funeral proceeded over the vow exchange. All four of the Weasley brothers stood next to Bill, looking much older than Samantha knew them to be. Ginny Weasley stood next to an almost translucent girl with a beautiful face and long platinum blond hair on the other side of Fleur. The ceremony ended with a round of applause as the fairies above their heads rained down golden sparkles.

The food tables were covered in everything imaginable. There was a healthy array of French delicacies as well as staples of any Weasley feast. The crowd mingled freely as most people made their way to congratulate Bill and Fleur. Samantha spotted the kids sitting at one of the small round tables. Harry was lounging in his chair, sipping a bottle of butterbeer, while the Weasley boy and the brown-haired girl sat very close together. Samantha wove her way through the crowd and walked up to Harry.

"Hello again, Mr. Potter," she said. "I don't suppose I could talk you into introducing your friends, could I?"

"Hi, Sam," said Harry. He motioned at the Weasley boy. "These are my two best friends, Ron Weasley and his girlfriend Hermione Granger."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet both of you," said Samantha as she shook their hands. "I have heard so many stories about you from others in the Order, that I was very curious indeed to see the infamous Golden Trio for myself."

"Harry said that you were Professor Lupin's cousin," said Hermione. The girl still seemed to be sizing Samantha up.

"Yes, although that information is not widely known," said Samantha. "We went to school together but he was a Gryffindor, like yourselves, while I was in Slytherin. We didn't really hang out a lot, as you can imagine."

"Yeah, I guess not," said Ron, taking another drink of his butterbeer. "I've never heard of anyone in those two houses being close friends."

"Never say 'never,' Mr. Weasley," said Samantha with a smirk. "I was actually very good friends with Harry's mother, Lily."

"You knew my mum?" asked Harry. His eyes - _her eyes -_ looked at her full of questions.

"Yes, Mr. Potter, I did," sighed Samantha. She looked down at the ground as memories washed over her. "She was a wonderfully intelligent woman and a good friend." She looked back up at him, giving him a smile. "Got me through Slughorn's N.E.W.T. Potions class. Wouldn't have gotten my Exceeds Expectations without all of her help."

Harry grinned at her. The others looked at him and then seemed to accept Samantha immediately. _Very interesting,_ thought Samantha.

"Well, I must confess," said Samantha in a lower voice, looking around for Arthur or Molly, "that my intentions for meeting you were not entirely altruistic. I was wondering if the three of you would fancy a walk?"

The Trio got up to follow Samantha to the pitch. She walked a little behind them, making sure their absence was not being noted.

They reached the grove, where Ron and Hermione lit their wands. They looked at Samantha warily, who was giving each of them a searching look as she lit her own wand.

"What I'm about to tell you is to be kept in the strictest confidence, do you all understand?" asked Samantha. All three nodded. "I'm serious. This will get me in a lot of hot water with the Order and could prevent you from being inducted, if you so choose to be, if someone finds out."

"Why haven't we been inducted?" asked Harry, a hard glint in his eyes. "It's not as if we haven't had experience."

"Indeed, Mr. Potter," said Samantha, raising a hand to stop the others from asking the same thing. "Believe me, I am a firm believer that all of you should have been inducted before the little incident at the Department of Mysteries, but I and your other champions were sternly told by Albus that we were not to mention anything to you."

"Who else thought we should be in the Order?" asked Ron in an angry tone. Samantha's eyes glanced at Harry briefly. She sighed in resignation.

"Myself, Sirius, Remus, and -" she held her breath," - and Severus."

"Snape!" cried Ron and Hermione. Harry was strangely silent, holding Samantha's gaze. He frowned in thought.

"Yes," said Samantha, watching Harry out of the corner of her eye. "Although I caution you that Remus is no longer of that opinion at all, so you have lost all your vocal supporters. I am not about to make myself any more of an outcast in the Order than I already am due to my associations with old school friends to voice my opinion on the matter. I am, however, going to put my money where my mouth is," said Samantha sternly, glaring at Ron's furious expression. Hermione hit him on the arm and looked eagerly back at Samantha.

"Does this have anything to do with what Remus talked to you about after dinner that night I left?" asked Harry. "You told me you would tell me something later."

"Indeed, Mr. Potter, and this is later," said Samantha. She looked back towards the reception party one last time and then looked back at the kids.

"I ask that you try and hold your questions until I'm finished explaining," she said. The three of them nodded and Samantha took a deep breath. "The Order received intelligence that the wedding was going to be attacked on Saturday by a group of Death Eaters. I assume all of you thought it strange that the date was changed suddenly and the three of you would be shipped off to the 12 for the day?"

They all nodded, Harry and Hermione trading a look. Samantha continued. "Well, everyone thought that you would do something rash and actually be helpful to us, Merlin forbid, so they decided to send you to the 12 with Molly. I'm not at liberty to tell you what the Order is planning due to a promise I made Remus, but I didn't promise not to give you all a way to help us out."

The three kids looked at one another with huge grins. Their excitement was contagious, and Samantha's face broke out into a small smile.

"Now, you must listen to me carefully," said Samantha. "This will be dangerous and you could get seriously injured if you do not do _exactly _as I tell you. I managed to convince Molly to switch me places and let me escort the three of you to the 12." Ron's face paled a bit at this news.

"You will be flooing over at 9 tomorrow morning. I will meet you there. The Death Eaters will be in the village at 12:30, which means they will probably not be here and through the wards until at least 1. Their leader is going to have to break through the protective wards around the property." Samantha glanced at Harry, who gave her a little nod.

"We will have to come in by portkey, since Moody reinforced the Anti-Apparition wards, most likely with a nasty jinx imbedded for any idiot who tests them. We will arrive in one of the bedrooms on the front side of the house. The two of you -" she pointed to Harry and Ron, "-will need your brooms. Miss Granger, I mean no offense, but your flying skills are not highly spoken of. You will be stationed at a window where you can see what's going on. You all will be disillusioned as well as your brooms and watch the attack from the air. No Invisibility cloaks. They're too much hassle in situations like this."

"Now, here's where I'm sure you are going to be upset with me," said Samantha. "You are only to engage the Death Eaters if an Order member is seriously in trouble. You are NOT under any circumstances to go around shooting off spells at everything that moves. This is very important." She looked fiercely into each of their sullen faces. "If you cannot abide by this command, you may stay at the 12 until everything's cleaned up and fix the rest of us a nice snack to eat upon our return. Do you understand me?"

They all looked at one another as if communicating silently. Harry looked back at Samantha, a fiercely determined look on his face.

"We'll do it," he said. The others nodded in agreement.

"Excellent," said Samantha. "Now, I will also be disillusioned until the battle gets going. Then I will be out to engage the leader of the attack, who was my source for the information. Do not shoot anything at the leader, even if it seems like I am in trouble. We go back a long way, and we know how to make a duel look convincing. Am I clear?"

Ron and Hermione looked at Samantha in bewilderment. Samantha glared back at them.

"If this is not acceptable to you, you will most assuredly stay at the 12. I'm sure Kretcher would like the company," growled Samantha. "Please, this is important for the rest of the Order. Do not take him down."

"Alright, alright," said Ron. He sighed in disappointment. "We won't take the git down."

"And you will also refrain from unnecessary name calling," said Samantha as she lifted her wand to Ron's neck. His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as Samantha narrowed her eyes at the boy. "I do not bad-mouth your close friends, Mr. Weasley. Do not do it to mine or you will regret it. Ask Remus to tell you about my hexes and jinxes if you think I'm bluffing. I'm sure he still has scars he can show you."

Ron swallowed visibly and shook his head. Samantha looked at her watch quickly.

"We'd better get back," she said. "Your absence will have been noticed by now. Thank you for your help, my little blackbirds. I know you will do well." She turned and walked back to the party, leaving the three kids to return at their own pace. She slipped back in among the crowd and started up a conversation with Arthur on the Minister's security policy for Hogsmeade.

The reception ended at about 10:30. Bill and Fleur left on their honeymoon to Egypt, and Fleur's family portkeyed back to France. The Weasleys who weren't in the Order stayed until 11, and then portkeyed back to their respective lodgings. The rest of the party made their way down the road about half a mile past the wards and disapparated in groups. Finally, the only people left were Samantha, Remus, Molly, Arthur and the blackbirds. Remus walked up to Samantha with the kids in tow.

"Hey Sami, I just wanted you to meet the kids before tomorrow," said Remus. He introduced Ron and Hermione, each one doing a very convincing job of meeting her politely as if for the first time.

"Very nice to meet both of you," said Samantha with a grin. "I'm sure we'll get to talk more tomorrow at Headquarters while you wait for the wards to be checked."

"I can't wait," said Harry with a knowing look. Remus ruffled Harry's hair, while Ron gave Samantha a wink.

"Neither can I, Mr. Potter," said Samantha. She turned to walk down the road and disapparated.

Samantha ran to her room for parchment. She wrote a quick message to Severus and fired off her falcon.

_Gabriel- _

_  
The blackbirds are ready for takeoff. I will look for you and engage you at the attack. Try not to hurt me too badly. The birds know not to shoot at the Death Eater dueling with me._

_Je t'aime, Severus, et bon courage,  
Haydyn_

_

* * *

_

The day of the attack dawned overcast and dull. The clouds above Grimmauld Square were dark and foreboding, threatening rain for later in the day. Samantha arrived at the 12 at 8:40 clad in her typical weekend attire - a black tank top and her loose-fitting black trousers topped with a hooded black jacket. She made her way to the kitchen, eyeing the muttering house-elf as he locked himself in his closet of a room. Samantha started making breakfast, putting eggs and bacon on the stove to cook while she toasted some bread. She was setting a bowl of fruit on the table when the fireplace flared green. Harry stumbled out of the grate, followed by Ron and Hermione. Molly stepped through a few seconds later and smiled at Samantha.

"Thank you so much, Samantha," said Molly. "I really appreciate you taking one of your days off to do this for us." She gave each of the kids a hug, giving Ron a kiss on the cheek as well. "Now, you all behave yourselves and don't cause any trouble for Miss Ives. If I hear of any mischief, you'll be degnoming the garden and anything else I can find for you to do."

"Alright, Mum, we got it," said Ron. He suffered another kiss on the cheek and Molly stepped back through the floo.

Samantha turned back to the stove, putting the last of the bacon on a platter. She carried it over to the table, levitating a jug of pumpkin juice behind her. She chuckled at Ron's salivating.

"Well, go ahead and sit down, my blackbirds," said Samantha. "It's early yet, and I'm sure Molly wanted you out of the house quickly. I'm not as good a cook, but I reckon it's edible."

"It looks great, Miss Ives," said Hermione as she sat down and poured Ron a glass of juice.

"Please, call me Samantha or Sam," said Samantha. "I don't expect you to stand on ceremony with me. We are fellow troublemakers for the Order. I figure we can be casual with one another." She sat across from Hermione and grabbed a few slices of bacon as Ron reached for the eggs. Hermione smiled at her and took a piece of toast.

Samantha saw that Harry wasn't eating much, pushing his eggs around his plate with his fork. She looked down and noticed that, other than the two slices of bacon, she hadn't eaten anything either. She gave his shoulder a squeeze as she rose to get herself another cup of tea.

After breakfast, they all went into the drawing room. Harry sat in a chair, his head tilted back, eyes staring blankly at the ceiling, as the other two took a seat on the couch. Hermione pulled out a book from her bag and began to read, her free hand resting on Ron's head which was lying in her lap. Samantha walked over to where the great tapestry of the Black Family hung on the wall. She followed the lines down towards the bottom.

_Regina Black née Travers…_ Samantha's fingers felt the hole below Mrs. Black's name and trailed over the golden embroidered name next to the black mark. _Regulus Arcturus Black (b.1962, d.1979)._ Samantha closed her eyes. Was this the answer to the riddle? Was R.A.B. Regulus, the writer of the bold letter to the Dark Lord, the thief and possible destroyer of something as vile and dark as a Horcrux?

The four of them slowly passed the few hours before they were to leave. Samantha looked around the room and found an old paperweight in one of the desk drawers. She set it on the table to be used as a portkey. At noon, all three kids rose and left the room. Harry stopped by the door and looked back at Samantha.

"Er - we'll be right back, Sam," he said.

Samantha raised an eyebrow at him as he turned to follow his friends upstairs. She waited for a few minutes until she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. The door to the drawing room opened and in walked three black-clad teenagers. Hermione had covered her bushy hair with a black scarf. Samantha looked at the three of them and burst out laughing. The kids looked at each other with worried faces.

"No, no, don't worry," said Samantha betweens gasps of breath. "I love it! What made you think of it?"

"It was Hermione's idea," said Ron sullenly, a bit miffed at being laughed at. He pulled the front of his thin black turtleneck away from his thin frame with two fingers.

"I heard you refer to us as blackbirds," said Hermione, frowning at Ron for putting her on the spot. "I thought the black clothes would be a nice touch."

"Indeed they are, Miss Granger," said Samantha with a huge grin. "'Blackbird Pies' was the code name for this little operation between my source and I, hence calling you my 'blackbirds'."

"See, Ron, I told you she wouldn't mind," said Hermione as she sat back down on the couch. Ron lay down next to her, his head resting in her lap once again. She stroked his red hair with her hand. The sight made Samantha a little jealous, wishing for a pair of strong arms to wrap themselves around her and tell her everything would be fine. They waited in a tense silence until the clock on the mantle struck a quarter to one.

"Let's go, blackbirds. Where are your brooms?" asked Samantha as she pulled her wand out.

"We left them in Fred and George's room," said Harry. "You can see everything in front of the house from there. We figured that'd be the best spot for Hermione to stay."

"Excellent," said Samantha as she cast _Portus_ on the black orb sitting on the table. It emitted a blue light for a few seconds before the light faded into the paperweight. "Then that's we're will come out. I'll put the charms on you when we arrive. Try and stay on your feet when we land. We don't want anyone alerted to our presence. A finger on this ugly thing, if you please." Three fingers touched the rock in her hand and Samantha looked into the young determined faces of warriors.

"Three…two…one…"

They disappeared from the 12 in a flash of light.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9- When It Rains, It Pours**

_Left to themselves, things tend to go from bad to worse.- Murphey's Law_

The group landed in Fred and George's room. Hermione and Harry had to grab Ron to keep him from falling heavily on the floor. Samantha held her finger up to her lips, signaling for silence as she listened for anyone moving downstairs. She didn't hear anything. She moved quickly to the window and saw a red tinge where she assumed the wards were being attacked. She could hear the sound of a great crowd out behind the house in the garden. She smiled at the thoroughness of this operation. She turned towards the kids and tapped each of them hard on the top of the head.

"Grab your brooms and bring them over here, please," whispered Samantha, "Miss Granger, take your place at the window." She watched as two broomsticks rose into thin air and came towards her. She rapped each broom with her wand, watching the charm encase them completely. She made sure the charm was well-cast and covered the kids and the brooms entirely.

"Wait until you see the Order engage to move out," said Samantha, as she tapped herself with her wand. "Watch for stray spells. Do not make any noise or do anything that will alert anyone to your presence, please. I will meet you back here in order to return you three to the 12 before anyone else gets back. Bon courage, my blackbirds." With that, she walked out of the room and stood in the kitchen to watch for Severus.

* * *

He stood hidden in the trees, working on the wards. His troops were getting restless. His hands were shaking slightly with the effort of breaking down the difficult protection that surrounded the Weasley property. _Damn it, this is taking too long,_ thought Severus as he slowly felt the wards weakening.

Bellatrix obvious shared this opinion. She walked up to where Severus was concentrating.

"What is going on, Snape?" she asked, lifting her mask. "Why is this taking so long?"

"Forgive me, Bellatrix," snarled Severus. "These wards are a little thick. It takes time to break them down gently so as to not alert the entire Ministry to our little party."

"Well, hurry it up," said Bellatrix hatefully, "we haven't got all day."

"You know, Bella," said Severus in a cool tone, "I was under the impression that _I _was the leader of this expedition."

The woman flushed and stalked back to where the others were waiting. Severus grinned to himself and continued to hit the wards.

Around 1:25, Severus finally got the wards to drop. He motioned for the rest of the Death Eaters to follow him. He felt the slight tingle of the Anti-Apparition wards as he got closer to the Burrow.

"No apparating," said Severus in a harsh tone through his mask. "They've got wards up." As soon as they passed the point where he had seen the wards begin, seven figures appeared out of thin air.

"Attack!" yelled Severus. He fired off relatively uncomplicated hexes towards the Order members as the ambush team was quickly surrounded by black cloaks. They fought well together, back-to-back, spinning slowly and firing off stunners and other non-lethal curses intended to immobilize their attackers. Suddenly Severus caught movement out of the corner of his eye. A black clad woman with curly black hair and chocolate brown eyes. Severus walked slowly towards her, his wand raised. She rose her own and they circled one another.

"So, we meet again, Miss Ives," said Severus. He fired off a simple stunner, which Samantha blocked. She saw briefly the firing of a spell from above, hitting an unsuspecting Death Eater from behind. Samantha smiled and flicked her eyes up, alerting Severus to the kids' presence. Severus gave her a slow understanding nod.

"Indeed we do, my old friend," she answered. She fired off a body-binding hex, which Severus dodged with quick reflexes. "I see you have lost none of your quickness in your old age."

"Old age?" said Severus with a chuckle, "Old age? I'll show you old age, my dear."

Samantha and Severus traded off firing spells at a furious pace. Their wands moved with alarming speed, exploding with bright light. However, if anyone had paid close enough attention, they would have noticed that the spells hitting the two duelers faded without leaving any damage. Samantha suddenly froze, her eyes widening in fear as she looked over Severus's shoulder. Severus saw the blood rush from her face and turned to look behind him.

"Holy shit," said Severus as he lifted his mask. The entire battle had come to a screeching halt on both sides as everyone eyed the tall, dark figure walking towards the pair of lone combatants. Severus stood stock-still, feeling the eyes of all the Order members staring at him with unveiled hatred. He stepped in front of Samantha, placing his body between her and the approaching red-eyed monster.

"Well, well, my little Snake," said Voldemort in a loud, furious tone. "It seems that we missed the party, Severus. Now, why would something like that have happened?" He stopped about ten feet from Severus, staring into the white face of his trusted, but silent, lieutenant.

"I have a theory about how this may have happened," said Voldemort. He waved his wand over his head, taking down the Anti-Apparition wards with one motion. Unfortunately, Samantha's Disillusionment charms chose that moment to fade and disappear, revealing two black-clad young men on brooms. They hovered above the proceedings silently. Harry watched in fear, while Ron eyed Severus with contempt. Samantha gave Harry a shake of her head, telling him not to fire.

"You see, Severus," continued Voldemort, apparently unaware of Harry and Ron hovering above him. "I think someone informed the Order of our coming to visit. An informer who knew the Order well enough to send word on less than a week's notice, Severus, if my thinking is correct. What do you think about this theory so far, my Snake?"

"Well, _my Lord_," said Severus with a slight bow. "I would have to say that your theory is relatively sound and thank you for the compliment on my speed."

Voldemort's face contorted with fury. Severus reached back and grabbed Samantha's hand, giving it a squeeze. Samantha returned the squeeze, if only to keep Severus from feeling her hand shake.

Voldemort looked furiously past Severus into Samantha's pale face. "Well, well, Miss McKinnon. How wonderful to see you. I've been waiting to meet you for some time, but Severus could never seem to locate your whereabouts. A bit curious, don't you think, my dear?"

Samantha felt Severus tense beside her. He pulled her closer to himself to keep the Dark Lord's attention on himself. Voldemort shook his head at the pair.

"Severus, you are very good. I've never met a better Occlumens. I suspected at one time that your loyalties had wavered. But you let me into your mind willingly, letting me see your actions. I see now that nothing is as it seems. You have disappointed me, Severus. You were my best soldier."

"You disappointed me a long time ago, Voldemort," said Severus in a loud and steady voice. The other black-robed figures flinched violently at the sound of their lord's name. Above them, Harry nodded his head and gave the man a small grin.

Severus let go of Samantha's hand and ripped off his black cloak and mask. He threw them at Voldemort, hitting him in the chest. The clothing hit the ground just as the loud crackings of apparating Aurors was heard about half a mile away. The other Death Eaters instantly grabbed their fallen comrades and apparated away. Voldemort looked down the road to see the Aurors running full tilt towards them. He let out a scream of frustration and raised his wand at Severus.

"This is not over, Snape," spat Voldemort. "I will hunt you down in the dead of night when you least expect it. But before I kill you, I will destroy everything that's dear to you, right before your very eyes. You can be sure of that." He fired off a curse and disapparated with a loud crack.

"NO!" screamed Severus as the Sectumsempra curse hit Samantha full in the chest. He caught her as she fell to the grass. "No, no, no! Sam! SAM! Talk to me, Sam!" He felt the bile rise to the back of his throat as he watched her blood spill on the ground. She slowly reached up a hand to his face.

"Before - you - start - the - the counter-curse," gasped Samantha, "change - your appearance. Now, Severus - do it - NOW!"

Severus lifted his wand and touched it to his forehead. His sharp angular features softened as his hair became short and brown. His eyes changed from darkest black to hazel, his trademark nose shortening ever so slightly. With a nod from Samantha, he began to rapidly sing the counter-curse just as the Aurors reached the Order members.

"We came as soon as the Apparition wards came down," said Gawain Robards as he walked up to Arthur. He looked around to examine the damage. "Looks like you guys got off pretty easy."

"Yeah, we did," said Kingsley as he made his way over to Robards. "Come on, we'll go back to the office and start the paperwork. Moody and Tonks can help us fill in the blanks." Robards took another look around.

"Are you all okay here, Arthur?" asked Robards. Arthur nodded at him numbly. "Then we'll be off. I'll send a team back over to reset the wards tomorrow." He turned and disapparated, followed almost immedately by the other Aurors, Kingsley and Tonks. Moody stared at Severus and Samantha, shaking his head. He turned sharply and left for the Ministry.

Severus finished the incantation for the fourth time. Samantha slowly tried to get up. She managed to get to her feet with help from Severus. Remus walked quickly over to her, pulling her away from Severus, causing her to stumble. He pulled his wand on Severus, who simply stood with his own wand at his side.

"YOU!" shouted Remus. He turned to Samantha, trapping her arm in a tight grip. "_He_ was your source, Samantha! You sent us here on HIS word? YOU BELIEVED THE WORD OF A MURDERER AND A TRAITOR?"

"Remus," said a soft voice behind them. Remus turned to look at Harry, who stared at him with his head held high and a stubborn look on his face, the spitting image of James from times past. "Remus, let Samantha go. You're hurting her arm."

Remus looked down at where he was grabbing Samantha and quickly released her. She moved back over to where Severus was standing. Severus wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her head.

"And Samantha, these kids are not supposed to be here!" cried Remus, his face red in anger. "They were supposed to be somewhere -"

"-locked up and babysat while they ATTACKED MY HOUSE," said Ron furiously, who had landed behind Harry. The front door of the Burrow opened and Hermione ran towards her friends as Ron continued to speak. "Locked up and LIED TO by trusted adults who claim to be doing everything 'to keep us safe.' Why don't you just come out and tell us the truth? Maybe then we'd actually _be_ safe!"

"Ronald Weasley," cried Molly from where the other Order members were standing in shock. "You apologize right this instant. You are all in very big trouble."

"You were not to know anything about what the Order was planning to do here," said Remus, giving Samantha a hard glare. "Sami, you promised me you wouldn't tell them."

"Dear cousin, I am a woman of my word," said Samantha. She turned to where the kids were standing, all three of them grinning at her. "Did any of you know what the Order was planning on doing here today?"

"Not a damn thing," said Ron, placing an arm around Hermione's shoulders.

"Nothing," said Hermione as she smiled up at Ron.

"Sam only told us that we were going to be portkeying here because Death Eaters were going to attack the Burrow," said Harry. He looked at Remus, who glared back at Samantha. "She told us nothing of the fake crowd noise or that you all would be Disillusioned as well, or about that awesome defensive position that you used, fighting back-to-back." He turned to Hermione, "We're gonna have to practice that."

"Molly," said Samantha as she turned away from Severus. "You'd better sign me and my friend here up for whatever punishment you're planning for these three. It was our idea to have them here. Several of you would be dead if not for their spell casting." She looked from the faces of a shocked Molly and a furious Arthur and smiled at the kids. "Oh, dear me, I've been very rude as to not introduce my friend here. I don't think you know him. In fact," she said as she turned to smile at Severus's disguised face, "I'm terribly sorry, sir, but I don't exactly remember your name."

Severus smiled back at her and turned to Harry. He stuck out his hand, which Harry immediately grabbed and shook.

"Jacob Prince, Mr. Potter," said Severus. Harry grinned at his choice of name. Severus turned to the other two, who seemed more hesitant about him than Harry. "Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger. It's truly a pleasure to meet you, although I daresay the circumstances are less than favorable."

"Yes, sir," said Harry with a huge smile. "I don't think Voldemort appreciated you throwing your dirty clothes at him."

All three teenagers burst out laughing, along with Severus and Samantha. Remus, Arthur, Molly, Hestia and Doge just stared at them, completely flummoxed.

"That was bloody brilliant," said Ron as he clapped a hand on Harry's shoulder. "You should try that next time, Harry. It really seemed to piss the old snake off."

"NO, HE WILL NOT," roared Remus. "You are just kids! You shouldn't be treating this so flippantly. You don't know what it's like -"

"Don't know what it's like?" asked Harry incredulously. "Remus, think about who you're talking to here. If you've forgotten, you might wanna take a look at this." He lifted his hair to display his trademark scar.

"Lupin," said Severus softly. "These young people have been fighting this war since they entered Hogwarts. Hell, they're practically veterans! They've put in more time fighting Voldemort than some Order members. Give them a bit of credit. I think they've more than deserved it."

"I'm not about to listen to anything you say, Snape," spat Remus. "Your word is not anywhere near good enough -"

"Well, then perhaps you will listen to Mr. Potter," said Severus as he cast a Silencing charm on Remus. Severus crossed his arms over his chest and turned to Harry.

"Mr. Potter, please tell us briefly about the end of your first year," said Severus.

"Well, Ron, Hermione and I had to make our way past some enchantments to keep the Sorcerer's Stone from being stolen and Voldemort resurrected with the Elixir of Life. The Devil's Snare gave us a bit of trouble - "

"Hermione helped us with that," said Ron proudly. Hermione blushed.

"Yup," said Harry, "then Ron won us that chess game with the life-size pieces that would have smashed us to bits had he not sacrificed himself to win the game."

"It was the only move left," said Ron, a flush creeping up his neck.

"There was also a bit of a riddle involving Potions, I believe," said Severus, adopting a thoughtful look.

"Yes, sir," said Harry with a smile. "And I had no clue as to how to solve it. We were in such a hurry - we thought _you_ were trying to steal the Stone, sorry about that, sir - but Hermione figured it out in like five minutes. I went on and fought with Quirrell, who had Voldemort sticking out of the back of his head, while she went back to stay with Ron and owl Dumbledore for help."

"Wait," said Samantha, raising her hand to stop Harry. "That riddle only took you five minutes, Miss Granger?"

"Yeah," said Hermione. "It wasn't too hard once you read it over a couple of times."

"Bloody hell, Severus," said Samantha, shaking her head. "How long did we work on that riddle? Three weeks? Four?"

"I distinctly remember it taking us about a month and half," said Severus, looking away from Hermione in embarrassment. "Fine. Now, Mr. Potter, enlighten us on your second year experience."

"Oh yeah, the whole Heir of Slytherin thing," said Harry, rolling his eyes. "Turns out Lucius Malfoy slipped Ginny the diary of Tom Riddle in with her school books. Riddle eventually possessed her and had her open the Chamber of Secrets and let out a Basilisk. It petrified Hermione and a couple of others before Ron and I figured out where the entrance was. Of course," he looked at Hermione, who gave him a grin, "Hermione helped us with that too. Apparently, Ginny had been trying to fight him off in her mind, but he was too strong and kidnapped her into the Chamber. We got down there and were separated by a rockslide, thanks to that idiot Lockhart. I went and found Tom draining Ginny's life to make himself mortal again. He's pretty persistent, once he sets his mind on something." Samantha chuckled at him.

"Anyway, he set the Basilisk on me, but Fawkes pecked its eyes out. The Sorting Hat gave me the Sword of Gryffindor, and I killed the Basilisk with it, but I got bitten. I took the tooth out of my arm and stabbed the diary with it. That released Ginny and kept Voldemort from coming back. Fawkes healed me with his tears and flew all of us out of the Chamber."

Remus stood still, staring at Harry. He looked at Severus with wide eyes, his face pale and slightly green. Severus cancelled the charm with a flick of his wrist.

"I think, Lupin," said Severus with his trademark sneer, which looked unfamiliar on his new face, "you are familiar with what happened at the end of their fourth and fifth years, correct?"

"Y-y-yes," stuttered Remus.

"If this hasn't prepared them, then what are you all waiting for?" cried Severus. "More good Order members to die before our numbers are so low that we have no other choice?" He took a breath to calm himself and spoke in a softer tone. "They only need to know that we believe in them. That will make them more powerful and give them more protection than we can possibly imagine."

The three teenagers stared in awe at Severus. Samantha wrapped her arms around Severus tightly. Suddenly, a wave of dizziness hit her hard, and she swooned. Severus caught her before she could fall completely.

"Sir, we still have the portkey to Headquarters," said Harry as he rushed to help Severus lay Samantha softly on the ground. Hermione reached into her pocket and pulled out the black rock they had used earlier that day. Severus took it in one hand, looking at Harry. Harry held his gaze. "There's a bedroom on the second floor. Third door on the right, I think. It's been cleaned. You're more than welcome to use it for Sam."

"Thank you, Mr. Potter," said Severus. He pulled his wand out of his pocket. He tapped the ball, activating the portkey. He wrapped Samantha's hand around it and held it with his own. He looked one last time at Harry and whispered "thank you."

"No, sir, thank you," said Harry firmly. They all watched as Severus and Samantha disappeared with a flash.

"Well," said Ron awkwardly, "I'm staving. I think there may be some bacon left over from breakfast this morning over at Headquarters. Harry?"

"I want to make sure Sam's okay," said Harry. "Disapparate to the park. We'll walk from there." With one simultaneous pop, the blackbirds disapparated.

"He was right," said Arthur softly. "All those things Severus said, about them fighting since they were little." He looked down at Molly. "We can't keep them locked away forever."

"Oh, Arthur," cried Molly as she buried her head into his chest. Hestia and Doge looked at one another in disbelief. Remus sighed heavily and addressed the group.

"Well, it's 2 right now," said Remus as he looked at his watch. "I told the others to meet us at Headquarters at 3. We might as well go and wait for them." With several cracks, they apparated to the 12.


	10. Chapter 10

**_A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed. Just for clarification, all of the Phoenixers on the ambush team saw Severus as Severus, so they knew that Severus was also Jacob Prince. They watched the whole exchange between the Dark Lord and our dark prince...as for Harry's quick forgiveness...well, that's for later, I promise. Mr. Potter will explain himself..._**

**Chapter 10- In Defense of a Traitor**

_People with courage and character always seem sinister to the rest. - Hermann Hesse_

Remus and the others arrived in Grimmauld Square and were instantly drenched in rain. Arthur looked up, the lenses of his glasses fogging in the humidity.

"Well," he shouted over the sound of the rain hitting the leaves of the trees, "I'm glad we had the wedding yesterday." He recoiled from the glare he received from his wife. "What? It's bad luck for it to rain on your wedding, you know."

"Folks, let's just get inside please," said Doge as he began to run out of the park. They made it to the 12 in record time and beat on the door. Hermione opened it, letting them all into the hall. She quickly cast drying charms on them before they could drip water all over the house.

"There's coffee and tea in the kitchen," said Hermione as she put her wand in her back pocket.

"Where's Snape, Hermione?" said Remus wearily. Hermione gave him a very cold look.

"I'm not sure, Lupin," she said, flicking her hair over her shoulder. He noted the lack of his former title that she always used. "Maybe someone else knows. I'm not really told anything." She walked back up the stairs, leaving a flabbergasted Remus at the bottom of the stairs.

"I think," said Hestia as she walked towards the kitchen, "we might have screwed up leaving them out of things, you know? I don't much fancy being on her bad side."

Upstairs, Severus sat beside Samantha on the bed. He held her hand in his, stroking her forehead as she slept. She had been asleep since they portkeyed back. He had given her some dittany and a little blood replenisher that he'd found in a cabinet in the kitchen. He didn't have any supplies to brew more, but she would be pretty close to back to normal after some rest and a good meal.

Harry and Ron stood in the corner, watching their former professor worry over Samantha. Ron shook his head.

"He sure seems to like her a lot, doesn't he?" said Ron softly to his best friend. Harry didn't move, his thin frame leaning against the wall, arms crossed. He watched as Severus felt Samantha's forehead for fever.

"Harry?" said Ron, as he grabbed Harry's shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Hmm?" said Harry, still not looking at Ron.

"I said, are you -"

The door opened and Hermione stepped in. She closed the door behind her and walked over to where Severus sat.

"They're back, sir," she said softly, Severus looked up from Samantha's sleeping face and thanked her.

"As well they should be," said a groggy voice, "there's a full Order meeting at 3."

"Sam!" cried Severus, placing a thin hand on her forehead, her cheek, her neck. He checked the pulse in her wrist. "How are you feeling? Any soreness? Nausea? Stabbing pains? Aching pains? More dizziness?"

"Damn it, Severus," said Samantha as she sat up slowly and slapped his hands away. "Stop your bloody mothering! I'm not made of glass! I'll be fine if you'll stop firing questions at me and mauling me with those spiders you call hands. Merlin!" She cradled her head in her hands. "And I thought Molly Weasley was bad!"

"Sorry, love," said Severus, completely oblivious to the three smiling and grinning faces standing in the corner of the room. "I was afraid the dittany would have some negative side-effects or the blood replenisher might've gone bad or --."

"Well, Mediwizard Snape, as you can see, I'm just fine, so please -" Samantha scooted to the edge of the bed. "-move so I can get up." She stood up and gave Severus a little shove, knocking him over onto the bed.

A chuckle escaped from Harry, which caused the other two to crack up as well. Severus and Samantha jumped a little at the sound, and blushed with embarrassment. Severus cleared his throat.

"Well, Sam," he said, lying on the bed as the giggles in the corner died slowly. "I believe you mentioned something about Order members meeting downstairs in -" he checked his watch "-about 45 minutes."

"Yes," said Samantha, her face paling slightly. "Everyone will be there." She began chew her nails. "I am going to be kicked out of the Order! Moody's gonna have my hide! We need a plan." She started to pace the length of the room, muttering under her breath.

"Wow," said Ron as he gave Hermione a sideways look. "This looks so familiar. Harry, have you ever seen someone pace and mutter like that, worrying about getting into trouble?"

"You know what Ron," said Harry in a similar tone, "I do believe I've seen this somewhere. Wait, wait - it'll come to me in just a second."

"Neither of you are helping the situation at all," said Hermione with a frown. She walked over to where Samantha was still pacing. Hermione grabbed her shoulders and sat her in the chair by an empty desk.

"Sit and breathe for a moment," said Hermione softly. She glared at Ron and Harry. "You two, shut up. No one can think with you two running your mouths." Ron and Harry's mouths closed instantly in the face of their angry friend.

"You see, Severus," said Samantha as she leaned back in the chair. "They do follow directions."

"They've never followed any directions I've given them, Sam," said Severus, but his tone lacked its usual bite. "I tell them all the time to shut up and they never do."

"Maybe it's your method of delivery, Severus," teased Samantha. "A lot of people respond well to a kind and gentle tone. Sarcasm is unappreciated by most-"

"Well, this is all _very _enlightening," drawled Ron, "but I would like to survive to see tomorrow. I have two angry parents downstairs who would like nothing more than to rip me into pieces and make soup." He turned to Severus. "What's the plan?"

Severus was not at all prepared for this sudden respect and acceptance from three of the most troublesome and annoying Gryffindors he had ever had the misfortune to run across. And now, they looked at him with those sickeningly expressive eyes, expecting him to have a plan for the madness they found themselves in.

"Uh, yes, a plan," said Severus slowly as he propped himself up on his elbows. He thought for a moment, then flopped back down on the bed. "Sam, what's the plan?"

Samantha rolled her eyes. Now that she had calmed a bit, her mind was rapidly sorting through the day's events.

"Alright, well, first things first," she said as she stood from the chair and began to pace again. "Our biggest hurdle right now will be the announcement of Severus's involvement in today's events. You might want to keep the disguise in place until we get everyone in and they promise not to hex, jinx or murder you on the spot."

"Yes, that _would_ be a bit unpleasant," muttered Severus.

"Second thing," she said, ignoring Severus's comment, "will be explaining how these wonderful young people helped us today. Maybe they'll finally be inducted into the Order."

"Whoa, hang on just a second," said Ron as he stepped towards Samantha slowly. "One, how are we supposed to convince the entire Order to induct us when you said that you, him, Sirius and Lupin already tried and couldn't do it?" Samantha and Severus looked at one another. "And two, who says we want to be in the Order? After today, I'm not so sure I'm all that excited about the whole idea any more."

"I agree," said Hermione. "We're not going to want to be tied down anywhere. We were planning a trip to, er, see, uh-"

"Spain," said Ron quickly. "Yeah, Hermione's been want to go for forever, so we all decided that we'd just -"

"They know," said Harry. Ron and Hermione looked at him in shock. "They know about the Horcruxes."

"Oh," said Ron, abashed. "Right. Well, uh… right."

"We can discuss that particular aspect of Voldemort's insanity later," said Severus. He looked at his watch. "We'll just have to wing this and take things as they come. Come on, Sam. I want to get some food in you before this meeting." He held out his hand. Samantha took it, and Severus turned around to look at the Trio.

"Come and sit on the stairs," he said, "it'll be easier that way."

The clock in the kitchen chimed three. None of the ambush team members would say anything about what had happened. They all sat at the table in thoughtful silence, every now and then glancing at one another. The entire room turned when they heard the squeal of the door hinges. Samantha and Severus walked into the room, the occupants eyeing the "newcomer" with alarm.

"Miss Ives, what is the meaning of this?" cried McGonagall as she stood to her feet. "You can't just bring random people into Headquarters!"

"He is not some random person, Headmistress," said Samantha calmly. "If you would like to retake your seat, I'll explain everything, as it all begins with me and the information I received about the attack on the wedding." She caught Moody's hateful stare being directed at her disguised companion. She stood between Severus and the rest of the room. "I only ask that all questions be held until I am finished and all wands remain wherever they are currently residing. Also," she looked at Molly and Arthur, "there are three other people who need to be here, who deserve to hear what we have to say."

Severus walked over to the door and opened it, motioning for the Trio to come in with a flick of his head. They walked in and stood along the wall, all three of them with their arms crossed, glaring at the whole room. The ambush team members avoided their gazes.

"No, absolutely not," said McGonagall sternly. "These children do not have permission to be here. They are not -"

"They will stay," said Arthur softly but firmly. McGonagall stared at him, her mouth hanging open. He looked at Samantha. "Please, Samantha, continue."

"Thank you, Arthur," said Samantha. She took a deep breath but was interrupted once again.

"Then they should be inducted before they are told anything," said McGonagall. She rose and drew her wand. Harry stepped forward, a hand raised to stall her.

"I'm sorry, Professor," said Harry firmly. "We will not be joining the Order at this time." Hermione and Ron nodded in agreement behind him.

"And why not, Mr. Potter? It's quite an honor to be asked to join the Order of the Phoenix and you're going to turn it _down_?" said McGonagall as she lowered her wand, looking between the three of them.

"Our reasons are our own," answered Harry. "Suffice it to say that we are no longer children and we will not be lied to anymore. We will all be of age after my birthday in a month. If none of you think we can handle dueling with Death Eaters or fighting against Voldemort by now, after hearing about us from the other people in this room or from even reading the bloody _Daily Prophet_, there is no reason for us to join, now is there?" McGonagall's mouth thinned to a firm line. She sat down hard in her chair, glaring at Samantha and Severus.

"Keep going, Sam," said Harry.

"Thank you, Mr. Potter," said Samantha. "Now, as you all know, I received intelligence about the attack, which," she looked hard at Moody, "was completely trustworthy, as Death Eaters did indeed arrive at the Burrow and attack. What you all didn't know was where I received the information. I knew my source was genuine, that he would not lead us into danger or into a trap. I spoke with him at Albus's funeral and made him promise to pass us information. He did so, putting his life in grave danger yet again, and it probably saved all of our lives. Again. He and I continued to communicate back and forth as I contacted Arthur and Remus to arrange an alternate plan for the ceremony."

"My source was put in charge of the attack, so he was able to pass me very specific details as to what was being planned on his end. The ambush was planned. I was originally on the ambush team, but I convinced you all to let Molly take my place. The reasons I gave were true, and I believed them fully." She looked at Molly with remorse. "However, there was another reason as to why I suggested it." She looked to the three teenagers leaning against the wall.

"The three young people standing behind you were to be kept here and completely in the dark about the attack happening on the house where one of them has lived his entire life, and the other two might as well have. They were to be sent away with a babysitter. You all know my opinion of how I think the Order has done them a grave injustice in keeping them ignorant of our actions. It cost Mr. Potter his godfather, and has ended up putting them through more pain and suffering. I decided that enough is enough."

"My source and I communicated about a plan to have them all three at the Burrow during the Attack that would not place them in unnecessary danger. They were instructed to engage only if our members were being overwhelmed, which they did." Samantha gave the Trio a small grin. "They performed marvelously and followed my orders exactly. The attack was being slowly won by our brave ambush team with the help of our blackbirds. Everyone worked well together. The glitch came when the Dark Lord showed up unannounced. My source was discovered, his cover blown. The Dark Lord has most likely placed him directly after Mr. Potter on his list of people he wants to see dead." She turned to face Severus. "He has done more for us than we can possibly repay him for."

"So who is this man?" said McGonagall impatiently. She glared sternly at Severus. "What is your name and who are you, exactly?"

The Trio came and stood next to Samantha and Severus, giving the room a cold glare.

"This is Jacob Prince," said Samantha, "but most of you will recognize him better without his disguise." Severus lifted his wand and cancelled the glamour charm.

"NO!" screamed McGonagall. She stood, knocking her chair over and leveling her wand at Severus. "NO! I DON'T BELIEVE YOU! YOU TRAITOR! YOU FILTHY MURDERER!" Several other members pulled their wands. They were met by three wands held in the hands of teenagers who had formed a wall between the rest of the room and Samantha and Severus.

"Professor McGonagall," said Hermione, her voice hard as granite. "Don't make me hex you."

McGonagall faltered at the hard face of her most prized student. She looked to Ron and then to Harry, shock written all over her face.

"I've already said I'm not going back to Hogwarts even if it does reopen," said Harry. "I have no qualms about jinxing its Headmistress. You will all sit down and you will listen to the man speak. Anyone who calls that bastard of a Dark Lord 'Voldemort' to his face deserves a little respect from the likes of you people, most of whom can't hear the name in good company without flinching, let alone say it with your own mouths." He glared at McGonagall. "_Sit down_, Minerva."

The entire room froze in silent astonishment. The Trio resheathed their wands as the members retook their seats.

"It's all yours, sir," said Harry as he and his friends made their way back to the wall they had vacated earlier.

"Thank you, Potter," said Severus. He held his head high and explained to them the story he had told Samantha that day in the Forbidden Forest. He left out all mention of Horcruxes, saying that Albus's burned hand was due to a duel from an attack. He explained again his role in the day's attack and what the Dark Lord had said to him before he cursed Samantha. After he finished, Moody pointed a gnarled finger at him.

"So, you just expect us to believe this story because you're now on the wrong side of a crazy man? This is all pretty fishy to me."

"You always have a choice to believe what you're told," said Hermione. "You have to decide when you're being told the truth, and when you're being lied to. None of us can force you to believe anything." The tension was broken by the sound of a stomach rumbling.

"Sorry," said Ron, his face as red as his hair. "We forgot to eat lunch." Molly got up and wrapped her arms around her youngest son, who clung to his mother tightly. She grabbed both Harry and Hermione into the hug. She finally released them, tears in her eyes, and bustled around the kitchen to start dinner. The other members rose to leave, most of them angry and confused. McGonagall stood and walked quickly from the room, slamming the door behind her. Molly was moving around near the stove. She turned and gave Severus a broad smile.

"Would you like to stay for dinner, Severus?" she asked. Severus gave her a genuine smile as Samantha wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Thank you, Molly, I would love to," he said as he hugged Samantha. "I haven't eaten a warm meal in about a week and a half." He and Samantha sat down at the empty table.

"You _what_?" Molly cried. She pulled out more pots and pans and set them on the stove. "You're as bad as Harry! Well, I will remedy this little problem straight away." She started to hum to herself as she tapped the edge of each pot, and set some potatoes to peeling in the sink.

"It's not like I do it on purpose," Harry muttered, low enough to where Molly couldn't hear him. He grabbed an apple from the leftover fruit bowl from breakfast in front of Severus and walked over the kettle sitting on the stove. "Would you like some tea, sir?"

"Thanks, Potter, tea would be nice," said Severus. The young man set a cup brimming with tea on the table and took the seat across from him. Severus wrapped his hands around it, savoring the warmth of the porcelain.

"Sam, I'm going to have to go into hiding," said Severus. He took her hand that was resting on the table and raised it to his lips, kissing her open palm. He leaned his head into her hand, closing his eyes at the feel of her cool skin against his face.

"I know, love," she said. She looked away from him as Molly levitated dish upon dish to the table.

"You all eat up," said the matron as she looked everything over. She gazed lovingly at the Trio. She kissed each of them on the tops of their heads. "You three are old to enough to do as you please. I know you were planning to leave right after the wedding on your trip. Why don't you just floo back home when you're done eating. You can pack tonight and leave in the morning."

"Sounds great, Mrs. Weasley," said Harry, as he took a helping of mashed potatoes. "Thank you for dinner."

"Yeah, Mum," echoed Ron, "everything looks great."

"Severus, Samantha," said Molly as she grabbed a handful of floo powder from the pouch hanging by the fireplace. "You both take care of each other."

"We will, Molly," said Samantha. "Thank you. For everything."

"You're quite welcome, dear," answered Molly. "Just send those three back home after they've helped to clean up. Behave yourselves, please." With a stern glance at the Trio, Molly threw down the powder and disappeared into green flame.

The only sounds heard in the kitchen were platters clanging back onto the table and the scraping of forks on plates. Samantha finished first, her appetite not quite normal due to the aftereffects of potions Severus had given her. She watched with Hermione in amusement as Severus and Ron seemed to be silently racing each other to see who could eat the most. Samantha turned to Harry, who was staring at Severus's voracious eating.

"Mr. Potter, I have a question for you," said Samantha. Severus and Ron both stopped with forkfuls of dessert halfway to their mouths and looked at Samantha. "I was wondering if the three of you would like company on your quest to find and destroy evil bits of the Dark Lord."

Harry looked from Samantha to Severus. He gave the boy a nod and set his fork back down on his plate.

"If you want, both Sam and I can accompany you," said Severus. "But it is up to you and your companions. I confess that, at the present time, I don't know much about the other Horcruxes. Sam told me about your fake locket and the letter. Perhaps after I examine that, we will have more of a lead on the real locket and possibly the others." He turned to look at Sam. "I'll have to go back to Spinner's End and pack the rest of my library and get my potion supplies. Voldemort will be more than happy to burn my house to the ground, preferably with myself inside. And," he paused and looked Samantha in the eye, "you're going to have to move out of your flat as well. Not only will I need the books I sent you, but he will send people to find you and kill you. I cannot allow that to happen."

"You're both more than welcome to live here," said Harry. "We told Mrs. Weasley that we'd leave after the wedding on our trip, but we were actually planning on coming here until my birthday at least. I asked Remus at the wedding if the Order would need the house after the wedding, and he said no. The library has a lot of rare and Dark texts that we wanted to read to see if they had any useful information. Besides, this is _my_ house. I can do what I want with it."

"Thank you," said Samantha. "But in addition to your research, you might also try and complete your studies for next year." She smiled at the boys' appalled faces. "Not every single thing, mind. More like the things you'll need the most if you get into trouble while you're gone. If you all are going to be staying for a while, and we're both going to be here anyway," she looked at Severus. He gave her a shrug and ate the last bit of his dessert. "We'd be more than happy to tutor you. My best subjects were Charms and Transfiguration. Severus did really well in Potions and we were both excellent in Defense. We could get through the important parts of the seventh year curriculum in less than a month, I would think."

"We'd have to go solid every day," said Severus in thought. "And you," he glared at Harry and Ron, "would have to dedicate yourselves to the readings and to practicing wand movements and incantations. We will not proctor exams or assign blasted essays. I've had enough of trying to decipher horrid handwriting and you two young men have just about the worst scrawling I've ever seen."

"Now, Professor," said Harry teasingly. "You know that deep down inside, you enjoyed having us in class."

"Yeah," said Ron grinning at Severus. "We kept things interesting. You can't deny that."

"Hm, indeed, Mr. Weasley," said Severus. He looked at his watch. It was just now six-thirty. Hermione stood and began to pick up empty plates when Harry grabbed her arm.

"Hermione, what are you doing?" he asked. She looked at the table full of dirty dishes and half-eaten food.

"I'm cleaning up," said Hermione slowly. "Mrs. Weasley said -"

"Hermione, I own a house-elf who hates me, and you for that matter," said Harry as he let go of her arm. "I'm sure he would love to wash the dishes. Kretcher!"

The door opened to the closet where Kretcher slept. The elf looked mutinously at Harry as he made his way over to the table.

"Did Master call?" said Kretcher as he bowed his head. He began to mutter under his breath. "Kretcher sees the little Mudblood and the traitor eating off his Mistress's good plates. Oh, how Mistress would scream --"

"Yes, Kretcher," growled Harry. He motioned to the table. "I want you to clean the dishes and put them back where Mrs. Weasley found them."

Kretcher glared at Harry. The elf snapped his fingers and the table was cleared instantly.

"Anything else, Master? asked Kretcher hatefully.

"Actually, yes," said Harry, looking at Samantha and Severus. "These two people will be moving in tonight. Do not bother them or cause any problems for them. My friends and I will be moving in tomorrow. That's it. You can go." Kretcher disappeared from the room with a snap of his fingers. Harry stared at the place where the elf had stood. "You might want to lock your doors when you go to sleep tonight, just in case."

"Harry," said Hermione as she rose and grabbed her bag that was still sitting by the wall. "Mrs. Weasley said _we_ were to clean up."

"We did, Hermione," said Ron as he got up and stretched. "We watched Harry call for Kretcher and watched as he cleaned the table."

Harry stood up and put on the black jacket he'd worn to the attack. He turned to face Samantha and Severus as Hermione stepped through the grate with a cry of "The Burrow!"

"I think we'll need all the help we can get trying to find these Horcruxes," said Harry. "It would help a lot to have both of you with us. I also like the idea of finishing up our schoolwork. Ron isn't too thrilled, but I know Hermione will enjoy it. I was planning on working through at least my Defense books that I have." Harry turned to see Ron step through the fireplace.

"We'll go and pack up our personal belongings," said Severus. "I have several books that might be of use to you. We should be here when you three arrive tomorrow morning. We can also take a look at that letter and decide where to go from there."

Harry nodded and walked to the fireplace.

"Be careful tonight," said Harry. He threw down the powder and called out his destination. The flames died back down to nothing.

"We should go to Spinner's End first," said Severus. "Bellatrix already knows roughly where I live. It'll take them a bit longer to find you. If we both go, it shouldn't take us very long to do both houses. We should be back here by eleven at the latest."

"Alright then," said Samantha as she pushed her chair away from the table. "Let's go."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11- Movin' and Shakin'**

_We win half the battle when we make up our minds to take the world as we find it, including the thorns.- Orison Swett Marden_

Severus and Samantha walked quickly to the Square. The air was heavy with humidity and the smell of rain. When they were safely hidden in a grove of trees, Severus stopped and turned to Samantha.

"Haydyn, if we run into any trouble I want you to disapparate immediately," said Severus softly. "Today was too close for me. I never want to see you hurt like that again."

"Gabriel, I'm not about to leave you to become mince meat for the Dark Lord and his vermin," said Samantha. She took hold of his face in her hands. "We will face whatever comes together. You'll have all the time in the world to act noble when this war is over. Now, let's get a move on before it gets any later. You're going to have to apparate me. I've never been to your house."

Severus sighed. She took a hold of his arm tightly and Severus apparated them both. They arrived in a dark alleyway about a block from the end of the street. Severus edged around the corner of the building, looking for any signs of people wandering around.

"Sam, hit us with your Disillusionment charm," whispered Severus. Samantha tapped him on the head and then herself, shivering at the coldness trickling down her neck. When the charm completed, she could see the faint blue glow around Severus. Only the people who she cast the spell on could see her detection charm that was always paired with her Disillusionment. Lily had taught her the spell back in school, and Samantha had used it ever since.

She felt Severus put a hand on her leg, tapping her feet with his wand.

"What are you doing?" hissed Samantha, putting a hand on his shoulder to keep herself balanced.

"Cushioning charm so that your shoes don't make any noise," said Severus softly. "How else do you think I was able to sneak up on the little miscreants while I was teaching at Hogwarts?"

He grabbed her hand and they jogged to the last house. No lights shone in any of the windows. Severus pulled Samantha up the front steps and tapped his wand against the lock of the door. The door opened with a slight click. Severus pushed it open and closed it quickly and quietly behind Samantha. He tapped the door frame with his wand. The entire door was outlined in blue. Severus hit Samantha on her head with his wand, and the warm feel of the counter-charm ran down her back. He cancelled his charm and lit his wand.

"No more light than this," he said. He pointed to his bookshelves. "Start shrinking the books." He opened the staircase doorway and disappeared silently up the stairs. Samantha went over to the first book shelf and tapped her wand aganist the spines of the books. She heard a soft thud behind her. Severus had put a trunk beside the book case where she was standing. Samantha banished all the miniaturized books into the trunk.

Severus was doing the same to the other bookshelves. They had cleared all the book cases within a few minutes. He walked over to the side table next to the couch and turned it over. He cancelled a sticking charm on another book that was stuck to the underside of the table and shrank it, throwing it into Samantha's trunk of books. He looked around, spinning slowly in place.

"That's it down here," he said. "Let's go upstairs and do my room. The other rooms don't have anything in them. I cleared them of everything before Pettigrew moved in."

They levitated the trunks behind them as they climbed the stairs, Severus taking them two at a time. He moved over to the desk and began to empty all the drawers into the trunk. Samantha set her trunk beside the armoire. She opened the door, and pointed her wand inside, uttering a soft _Pack_. The clothes flew out of the closet and into the trunk, folding themselves neatly.

"There's a trick panel in the back, Sam," said Severus as he opened the drawers of his bedside table and pulled out vials of potions. "The center panel slides to the right. I want the box inside."

Samantha turned back to the empty armoire with a confused look. She did as Severus told her, the panel sliding smoothly. She lit her wand and saw a small, flat black box inside the small cubby hole. She pulled it out and ran her thumb over the edge of the silver initials _SGS_ on the top. She opened the lid and gasped at the sight of a deadly-looking 7-inch blade with a thin 4-inch hilt. The hilt was silver, encrusted with sapphires and emeralds. She turned to Severus with wide eyes. He shrugged and moved over to his dresser, pulling on the handle and scooping clothes into Samantha's trunk.

"I'm rather partial to that blade," said Severus. "My mother gave it to me as a graduation present. We might need it."

"I should hope not," said Samantha softly. She closed the lid and put it on top of her trunk. The black box was quickly covered with the armload of clothes Severus dumped on top of it.

"That's everything," said Severus. He looked around the room one last time. They both shut and locked the trunks. Severus shrank them and put them in his pocket. He let Madeline out of her cage, telling her to fly to the 12. He cleaned and shrank her cage, adding it to his pocket. They moved towards the door when Severus stopped and walked back over to his bed. He crouched and pulled out a long, thin object.

"I'd almost forgotten about this," said Severus. He lit his wand and ran it lovingly down the black handle of a dusty Nimbus 2001. "Lucius bought seven of them for the Slytherin house team after Draco made the team. He sent me one as well. We might as well take it along." He turned back to where Samantha was standing beside the door. Suddenly the frame above her head flashed blood red and the sound of ringing bells filled the room.

"Damn," said Severus. He slammed the door, no longer worried about making noise. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the window. "Get on the broom behind me, Sam, and disillusion us quick."

She hit them both on the head while Severus tapped the side of the broom. He kicked off from the floor and flew through the window just as the door blew apart, the wood splintering everywhere. Severus flew over some neighboring rooftops and braked, turning back to watch as his house exploded in bright green flame. They heard a shouted "_MORSMODRE!"_ and watched the skull float menacingly above his roof.

"Bloody hell," said Severus. He took a deep breath and exhaled. "You alright, Haydyn?"

"Yeah," whispered Samantha. "You?"

"Yeah," answered Severus. "I feel bad for Shacklebolt though. He'll have to find some other Death Eater to track now."

Samantha leaned her head wearily against Severus's back, tears falling silently down her cheeks. She closed her eyes, trying to block out the sickening green light. She saw it in her mind, hanging over the house she had grown up in, the house she had always loved, the house that smelled like fresh-baked cookies her mother would always pull out of the oven when she got home for the summer.

Severus flew them over to the alleyway at the end of the block. He landed and cancelled the charms.

"Come on, Haydyn," he said softly. "We've got to get to your place. You go first."

She nodded and disapparated with a soft crack. He looked one last time down the street. He disapparated just as Ministry officials arrived.

He apparated to the hall of Samantha's flat and heard her moving around in the sitting room. He walked in, lighting the room with a wave of his wand.

"I kept your books upstairs in the closet," said Samantha as she turned to see Severus. She looked away from him and quickly dried her eyes on her jacket sleeve. "I didn't want anyone to walk in and ask me questions if they saw them. I'm gonna go upstairs and get my trunks." She made to walk past him but he grabbed her arm as she passed. Severus pulled her to him. She ducked her head to keep him from seeing her tears, but he lifted her chin gently with a thin finger.

"Haydyn, what's wrong, love?" he asked. He brushed her tears away with his thumbs and looked deep into her glistening eyes.

"Nothing, Gabriel," she said softly. "It's nothing."

"It's not nothing if you're this upset," said Severus. He pressed his lips to her forehead and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm so sorry, Sam."

"I don't know why I'm crying," said Samantha between sniffs. "You're fine. You're not even - not even hurt or anything."

"Shh," said Severus, running a hand through her hair. "It's alright. Everything's gonna be alright." He looked down at her and kissed her lips, trying to comfort and reassure her at the same time. The kiss deepened as Samantha tightened her hold on Severus. Minutes passed before Samantha pulled away.

"I'll go get a trunk for you," said Samantha as she stepped out of Severus's embrace. She walked down the hall and returned with her old school trunk. She opened it for him and shrank the books that were already inside. "Bring it to my room when you're done. I'll put the stuff in my desk drawer in that trunk." She left for her room. Severus banished the books to the trunk and made sure there was nothing else in the room that they needed. He flicked his wand at the trunk and walked down the hall.

A half-full trunk sat in the middle of the room. Severus jumped out of the way as clothes flew into it from a closet. Samantha reappeared and walked over to her desk. She pointed to the floor beside her and Severus set the trunk down. She cast unbreakable charms on her ink bottles and packed those, her quills and rolls of blank parchment. Severus stacked up all the parchment scattered on top of the desk and dumped it into the trunk. She tapped her secret drawer and started to pull out all of her letters, placing them on top of the nearly full trunk. Severus pulled one of them off the top and read a message in his own handwriting.

"Samantha Haydyn!" he said in a loud tone. "What in the hell are you doing saving these? Anyone could have found them!"

"Severus Gabriel, do not take me for an idiot," said Samantha as she emptied the rest of the drawer's contents. "The only person who knows about this drawer is me -- well, and you now. No one else could have opened it, as the charm is specifically tuned to my wand. I know you told me to get rid of them, but I like rereading some of them every once and a while." She picked a yellowed slip out of the trunk and flipped it open. "Take this one, for example. 'Haydyn, thanks for all your help in transfiguration. I managed to get that wand movement down after you went to bed last night. Did you see the look on McGonagall's face when I did it right in class today? Bloody brilliant! I'll see you at dinner tonight. You should have taken Runes with me instead of Divination. It's awesome! Gabriel'" She smiled as she placed the note back in the trunk.

"Did you save every little note I gave you?" said Severus incredulously. "I don't even remember writing that one."

"I saved most of them," said Samantha with a shrug as she shut and locked both of her trunks. She waved her wand, and the trunks shrank to the size of a matchbox. She picked them up and put them in her trouser pocket.

Severus just shook his head at her. Women.

"Do you have everything?" he asked. He grabbed his broomstick from where it was leaning against the wall.

"I think so," said Samantha. She looked one last time at her room. "Let's get back to the 12."

It was completely dark when Severus and Samantha apparated back to the park. They walked quickly down the street and up the steps to Headquarters. Once inside, Samantha locked the door as Severus lit the torches that lined the entryway. He motioned with his head towards the stairs. They tiptoed past the portrait of the fork-tongued Regina Black and silently climbed the stairs to the second floor. Samantha opened the door of the room where she had slept earlier.

"I think I'll take the room across from you, Sam," said Severus. Samantha nodded and walked inside. He pushed open the door to his chosen room to find it sparsely furnished. A heavy desk sat in a corner, while a large four-poster took up most of the center of the room alongside a tiny bedside table. He heard the flapping of wings in the hall. The sound grew louder as an owl flew through the door. Severus held out his arm and Madeline landed on it, giving Severus a soft hoot. He pulled out her cage, setting it on top of the desk to enlarge it. He opened the door of the newly resized cage and Madeline flew in, landing on the perch. He picked up the cage and hung it in the corner of the room with his wand. He pulled out the small boxes in his pocket and began to unpack.

Samantha had just finished putting the last of her books on the bookcase she had transfigured when she heard a knock on the doorframe. She looked and saw Severus eyeing her bookshelves and smiled at him.

"Yes?" she asked with a smirk. She watched as he ran a hand down the side of the bookcase.

"Can you make me a couple of these?" asked Severus, still in awe at Samantha's transfiguring. "I'll probably need at least two this size."

"Sure thing," she said. "I'll just grab some parchment."

"You made those out of parchment?" cried Severus as he walked back across the hall. "I didn't even know that was possible!"

"Were you even _in_ seventh year Transfiguration?" said Samantha as she entered his room. "Where do you want them?" He pointed to the empty wall facing the bed. She set down the parchment and up grew two huge bookcases, covering the entire wall with shelving. She turned and chuckled at the shocked look on Severus's face. "My dear Gabriel, McGonagall went over this for two weeks!"

"Hm," said Severus as he sat on the bed. He opened the drawer in the bedside table and placed all his potion vials inside. "I don't recall her going over that."

"Well, maybe if you hadn't had been so concerned with hexing James Potter behind his back, you might have learned something."

He frowned at her as he stood back up. He stretched his long arms over his head and yawned.

"I think I'm going to go to bed, Sam," said Severus. He walked Samantha back over to her room. He kissed her cheek and gave her hand a squeeze.

"Goodnight, Hadydn," he whispered. "Sweet dreams, love. And thanks for the book shelves."

"Goodnight, Gabriel," said Samantha.

Severus walked back over to his room and shut the door. He untucked his shirt and pulled it over his head. He unbuckled his belt and slid it through the loops of his trousers as he slid his feet out of his shoes and removed his socks. Too tired to undress further, he pulled back the covers on the bed and turned off the lights. He lay staring at the ceiling, trying to get used to sleeping in a strange bed in a strange room. He jumped at the sound of his door opening and raised himself up on his elbows. Samantha slid into the room and shut the door behind her.

"Sam, what's wrong?" asked Severus as she walked over to the bed. Her hands were running up and down her bare arms to ward off the slight chill.

'I just -" started Samantha. She stared into Severus's worried eyes. She pulled back the covers and slid into his bed next to him. He lay back down as she wrapped an arm around his waist and rested her head on his bare chest.

"I don't want to be alone anymore," whispered Samantha. She snuggled closer to Severus's side. After a few minutes, her breathing slowed and deepened as she fell asleep. Severus put his arms around her, one hand resting in her hair.

"I don't either, love," he whispered as he closed his eyes. "I don't either."


	12. Chapter 12

**_A/N: This is a repost to fix the atrocious spacing errors. Sorry about that. I've had a motion to drop the Haydyn/Gabriel nicknames...anyone else concur? Nicknames will be important later for other...characters...but dropping them for Sam and Severus is doable...I think. I'll try it in this chapter and see if it works.  
_**

**Chapter 12- A Little Housecleaning**

_It is an illusion that youth is happy, an illusion of those who have lost it; but the young know they are wretched for they are full of the truthless ideals which have been instilled into them, and each time they come in contact with the real, they are bruised and wounded.-- W. Somerset Maugham_

Samantha woke the next morning with the feel of an arm draped across her waist, a pale hand resting on her stomach. She covered Severus's hand with her own and wiggled back down into the covers. Severus tightened his hold around her and pulled her closer to him, nuzzling her neck. She smiled, and fell back asleep only to be woken again by the sound of pots falling in the kitchen. Severus groaned.

"Severus," crooned Samantha as she turned over. She trailed kisses up his neck. "Severus, the kids are here."

"Mmhmm," mumbled Severus. He eyes were still closed. He pulled Samantha on top of him, causing Samantha to giggle.

"They can fend for themselves," said Severus sleepily. "I'm not awake yet."

Samantha smiled as she bent to place kisses on his neck. She slipped her tongue out to taste the salt on his skin. He moaned as she moved down his chest, placing kisses as she moved lower. He gasped and opened his eyes, arching his back as she swirled her tongue around his navel. He pulled her back up and flipped her over, pinning her arms above her head. He captured her lips in a blinding kiss. He held both her wrists in one hand as he trailed the other slowly down her side and back up again, lifting up the edge of her tank top ever so slowly.

"Severus," mumbled Samantha against his lips. She inhaled sharply as he found a sensitive spot on her neck. She closed her eyes, relishing the feel of him on top of her, when she heard another loud crash from the kitchen, followed by the muffled sounds of a woman shouting. She groaned.

"Severus," said Samantha as she twisted her hands out of his grip. She giggled as he feathered kisses on her bare stomach. She lifted his head in her hands and placed a kiss on his forehead.

"Sorry, love, but this is going to have to wait until later," she said as she slid out of bed. She pulled down her top and ran a hand through her hair. She laughed at Severus's limp form sprawled across the bed, moaning into the sheets. He looked up at her, squinting at the sunlight pouring in the window behind her.

"Damn it, Sam." He propped his elbows up on the bed and put his head in his hands, watching her as she flipped her head over and gather her long hair in a sloppy bun on top of her head.

"Go take a shower," said Samantha as she walked to the door. "I have to make sure the kids don't burn the house down."

She walked downstairs. She could hear the sound of Hermione's voice, cut off by what sounded like Ron explaining something. She opened the door slowly to find the two facing off over a broken jug of liquid that was pooling around their feet.

"If you didn't use every meal as a chance to show off," shouted Hermione, her face red in anger, "maybe we would have food to eat!"

"Oh, lay off Hermione," yelled Ron, his face as flush as Hermione's, "it's your fault! If you hadn't had tried to mess with it, I wouldn't have dropped it!"

Samantha chuckled softly and saw Harry in the corner by the stove doing the same. She walked forward towards the oblivious pair, who were glaring at one another.

"_Evanesco!_" said Samantha, pointing her wand at the floor. She grabbed both of them by a shoulder and sat them at the table.

"Now, then," said Samantha in a business-like tone. "Since you have awoken myself and Severus with your shouting and fighting over who can drop the most dishes on the floor, maybe we can fix a little breakfast, hm?" Hermione and Ronblushed as she walked over to Harry. "What are we cooking this morning, Monsieur Potter?"

"Just the usual," he said as he flipped some bacon. "Eggs, toast, bacon, a little sausage. We don't have a lot of food in the house - probably enough for today and breakfast tomorrow. I'll have to send Kretcher out for some later."

"Hmm," mused Samantha as she stirred the eggs. "I don't know if Kretcher knows what real edible food looks like."

"Good point," said Harry. He put the bacon on a plate and carried it over to the table. A bowl of eggs and a plate stacked high with toast joined it about 10 minutes later. Severus walked in just as Samantha headed towards the door, his hair tied back, dressed in a long-sleeve black button-down and slacks.

"Good morning, sir," said Hermione. Severus ignored her and walked to pour himself a cup of coffee.

"You might want to wait until he's nursing his second cup," said Samantha, grinning at Severus's scowl. "He can be awfully anti-social in the morning. I'll be back in a few minutes." She walked out of the door and up the stairs.

There was an awkward tension as the Trio served themselves breakfast under Severus's watchful eye. He leaned against the stove, slowly sipping the scalding hot liquid, listening to the Trio talk about inane matters between periods of blessed silence. He finished his first cup and poured himself another. He sat down across from Harry and grabbed a plate, piling it high with eggs and toast.

"Did you get everything moved in last night, sir?" asked Harry. Severus smirked at him as he buttered his toast.

"Yes, Potter, although it's a good thing we had dinner fairly early last night," said Severus. He set down his toast and picked up another slice to butter. "My house no longer exists. Sam and I barely made it out before the damn thing exploded."

"It WHAT?" cried Harry. He stared in shock at Severus's impassive face. "Your house just exploded?"

"No, Potter, it did 'just explode,'" sneered Severus. He rolled his eyes at the boy's questioning look. "It had assistance in exploding. The Dark Mark floating above Voldemort's former second-in-command will make a wonderful story for the paper."

"Bloody hell," whispered Ron as he took another bite of bacon.

"Indeed, Mr. Weasley," said Severus. He put a forkful of eggs in his mouth. Swallowing, he pointed his fork at Harry. "The only good thing about it will be that our less intelligent friends in the Ministry will think I died a most fitting death, being killed by my Master after my betrayal of the greatest wizard of all time. Ironic, really. But Sam and I made it out, and we got all of her stuff packed without interference. We took two rooms on the second floor, as I believe you three usually stay on the third."

"That's fine, sir," said Harry. "This house has enough rooms for us each to have three of our own."

Severus nodded in agreement and looked up as Samantha came through the door, her wet hair piled on top of her head. She poured herself a cup of tea, bringing the pot of coffee over to the table and topping off Severus's cup. She sat down and pulled an empty plate towards her. She took one piece of toast and topped it with strawberry jam.

"So, what are we going to do today?" asked Ron as he finished off his third helping of eggs. He reached for more but Hermione slapped his hand away and pushed the bowl of fruit towards him.

"I would like to take a look at this fake locket and the letter from our friend," said Severus. He took a sip of his coffee. "Since I knew most of the Death Eaters from the first war, I might have a clue as to who wrote the letter. Sam and I should also go to Diagon Alley and gather some supplies, especially if we're going to be holding summer school for you three."

"I think we need to look at that letter now," said Samantha in a careful tone. Severus raised an eyebrow at her. Samantha looked down into her tea, spinning the cup on her saucer. "Severus, brace yourself for that letter."

"What are you talking about, Sam?" said Severus. He looked at Harry. "You've got the locket with you, correct?"

"Yes, sir," said Harry. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the golden chain, placing it in Severus's outstretched hand. He opened the locket with a smug look at Samantha and removed the letter. He unfolded the scrap of parchment and lowered his eyes. What little color was in his face vanished as Severus read the note. He threw it on the table and leapt out of his chair. The Trio looked at him with alarm, Harry reaching across for the letter. Severus ran a shaking hand over his face and began to pace the length of the room.

"Severus?" said Samantha softly. He didn't seem to hear her, even though his pacing was less noisy without the snap of a cloak. "Severus, is it who I think it is?"

"Who?" asked Harry as he passed the note to Ron. "Who do you think it is?"

"Regulus Black," said Severus, not slowing his pace. "I would recognize his handwriting anywhere, even if he didn't foolishly sign it with his initials. He was in my initiation class when I took the Mark. He was a couple of years younger than me, one of the youngest Death Eaters ever branded. But he had a deep knowledge of the Dark Arts and was an Arithmancy prodigy. Voldemort had Lucius personally recruit him, which was a high honor given that at the time, Lucius was the young rising star of Voldemort's troops." Severus fell silent and lengthened his stride.

"We both knew him from school," said Samantha. "He was one of our good friends, despite his being younger than us. He dropped out of school a month before we graduated and we never heard from him again. Severus found out he had been killed a few years later, but was never told why."

"More like stumbled across a mangled body with a familiar looking face if you ignored all the blood," muttered Severus.

Samantha coughed, quickly swallowing the bile that had risen. "Severus told Albus about his being murdered. I can only assume Albus told Sirius before all that stuff with Pettigrew happened. I was in hiding and Severus wasn't exactly on speaking terms with Sirius." She looked to Severus for confirmation.

"No, I didn't tell Black anything," said Severus. He slowed his pacing and sat heavily in a chair at the table. He hung his head, a hand massaging his temple.

"Do we know this for sure?" asked Hermione. "What was Regulus's middle name?"

"Arcturus," said Samantha. The Trio and Severus all looked at her. She shrugged a shoulder. "It's on the tapestry in the drawing room. I was looking at it yesterday before we left. I thought it might be him, but I wanted Severus to look at the note before I said anything for sure."

"Oh bloody hell," whispered Harry. He stood slowly and stumbled backwards away from the table as the rest of them eyed him with apprehension. He ran a hand through his hair, looking at Ron and Hermione. "Do you remember that cabinet we were cleaning last summer with all that Dark Arts stuff? There was a locket -" Harry swallowed thickly, his face ashen. "-a locket none of us could open, remember? If R.A.B. is Regulus Black -"

"And he was young enough to still be living at home when he found it," said Hermione continuing his thought. "Then it would make sense that he would have kept it here!"

"What happened to all that stuff?" said Ron, standing from the table. "We were just chunking it in great black bags! They never told us what they did with them!"

"DAMN IT!" cried Harry as he pounded his fist on the wall. He leaned his head against it.

Samantha looked at Severus. He still looked dazed at the news. She thought for a moment as she watched Kretcher's door open slightly and an eye look at them through the crack. She sneered at the elf, who promptly closed the door.

"Alright!" yelled Samantha. Everyone in the room jumped. She stood and glared at Severus. "Gabriel, snap out of it! We're gonna need your great mind. Mr. Potter," she turned to the young man gaping at her, "if you would be so kind as to call your wretched house-elf. We need his assistance."

"Kretcher!" shouted Harry. "Get out here now!"

The miserable elf yanked open his door and stalked slowly towards Harry. The Trio looked at Samantha, who pulled Severus up out of his chair.

"Mr. Potter," said Samantha with a hand on Severus's arm. "Please ask Kretcher if he knows what they did with those bags."

"Kretcher, where are the bags of stuff from the drawing room cabinet?" asked Harry. They watched the elf squirm in discomfort.

"They is in the attic," ground out Kretcher. The elf got a manic gleam in his eye. "Is Master going to put them back on display?"

"Thank you Kretcher, that will be all," said Harry icily. He turned and ran out the door, followed by a blur of red flame and bushy brown hair. Samantha pulled Severus along, racing to follow the kids.

"Come on, Gabriel," she said as they climbed the stairs. "As I recall, some of that stuff is pretty nasty. Wartcap powder and all kinds of interesting things."

"Really?" said Severus. He bound up the stairs ahead of Samantha, who raced to catch up. "I could use some of that for potions."

"Not legal potions, Severus," said Samantha as they rushed to the drop down ladder to get to the attic. The kids were nearly at the top. Severus grabbed the side of the ladder and motioned for Samantha to go first.

"Yes, Samantha," said Severus as he climbed behind her. "I am quite familiar as to the nature of any potion requiring that powder." They reached the top and looked around. The kids were all in different corners of the room, looking into the boxes and bags piled all over the room in disarray.

"This place is a mess," said Ron. He threw down a pile of old robes. "It'll take forever to go through all this stuff."

"Do not be so hasty, my young Gryffindor," said Samantha. She pulled out her wand. "There are other ways of finding things besides your eyes." She began to wave her wand around the room, casting various detection charms and spells. Most of the boxes and bags glowed a gentle blue. The Trio moved these over to the other side of the attic. Anything that glowed red, Severus moved to the big open area in the middle of the room. Samantha cast a charm on one, encasing a black bag in red light. Severus bent to pick it up, but dropped it with a yelp, cradling his left arm against his chest.

"Severus, what's wrong?" asked Samantha. She walked him over to where the ladder descended down to the lower floors. Severus opened his eyes and stared at Samantha with a strange look on his face. He undid his sleeve, revealing the ugly red brand of the Dark Mark. He narrowed his eyes, looking back at the sack with a calculating look. He approached the bag, holding his left arm out in front of him. He clenched his teeth as he got closer, the Mark burning a bright red. Samantha and Harry followed close behind him, one on either side. Severus bent down to touch the edge of the black bag. The Mark blazed black and Severus recoiled.

"Potter, let Sam open this one," said Severus shakily. He walked over to where Ron and Hermione were standing.

Samantha swallowed thickly and held Harry back with an outstretched arm. She carefully untied the bag and opened it slightly. She frowned at the -

"Robes?" asked Harry. He raised a hand to grab one. Samantha grabbed his wrist tightly.

"Please try to control these impulses you have to touch things, Mr. Potter," said Samantha as she let go of his arm. "Severus, I'm sorry, but we're going to need your arm."

"Wonderful," said Severus in a dull tone. "I love being a Dark Arts detector."

"Beats being a Voldemort emotion detector, sir," said Harry. "At least your scar is useful."

"Thank you for spotting the silver lining, Potter," growled Severus. He stood to Samantha's right. She flicked her wand at the top robe and levitated it over near Severus. He shook his head. She let the robe drop on the floor and levitated another robe. She eventually reached the bottom of the bag and lifted up a smaller bag with her wand. As she brought the bag closer to Severus, he hissed and grabbed his arm.

"That's it, Sam," growled Severus. She pushed Harry back a bit and put the bag on the floor. With quick movements, she undid the bag, keeping her fingers from touching it too much. Once the ties were loose, she grabbed a corner of the bag between two fingers and dumped the contents out on the floor.

Several jewels and gems fell out of the bag. But they all gasped at the golden locket that lay on the floor. Harry bent and picked it up. He turned it over in his hand as he straightened back up.

"I think this is it," he whispered. Ron and Hermione walked over and looked at the necklace in his hand.

"Do you not feel anything in your scar?" asked Severus as he tried to get a look at the locket from where he stood.

Harry shook his head. "No, sir, nothing. It was the same way with the diary. I could hold it and read it and everything without so much as a twinge." Hefrowned in thought."Why does your Mark burn if I can't feel it in my scar?"

"Our Marks always burn in the presence of Voldemort," said Severus angrily. "One of the more pleasant side effects of the branding. Usually, my Occlumency is so strong that it blocks the pain."

Harry turned the locket over and looked at the back. "There's some markings on the casing. In the memory I looked at, the locket had Slytherin's mark on it, but I don't know enough about it to know if these markings are the same or not."

"I've seen his mark in a book I have in my room," said Severus. "Let me go get it and you all can look at it. My arm can't take getting much closer to that thing." He climbed back down the ladder.

Samantha took the locket from Harry and looked at it. It wasn't all that remarkable, in her opinion. It was nice, yes, but it looked so innocuous, so innocent.

"So if this is it," said Ron, eyeing the locket with distaste, "how are we supposed to get rid of it?"

"Well," said Harry as he touched the locket with his finger. "With the diary, I stuck the Basilisk's tooth through it. His soul just exploded into a million pieces."

"Basilisk poison is very caustic in concentrated amounts," mumbled Samantha. "Maybe Severus can find a potion or something to melt the thing, and destroy this part of the Dark Lord at the same time." She turned towards the opening as Severus climbed back up into the attic holding a book. He flipped to the middle of the book and handed it to Hermione. The others looked over her shoulder as Samantha held the locket in her palm.

"They match," whispered Harry. He glanced at Samantha, who nodded.

"Excellent," she said as Harry took the necklace in his hand. "Mr. Potter, please go and put that somewhere safe and hidden from Kretcher. We don't want to risk him running across it and stealing it." The boy nodded and climbed back down the ladder, followed by Ron and Hermione. Samantha turned to Severus, who was leaning against the wall in thought.

"Potter said that he stuck a Basilisk tooth through the last Horcrux and destroyed it," said Samantha softly. "Do you think some kind of caustic potion would work on this one?"

He shook his head slowly. "It would be tricky, Sam. If we don't destroy the soul held inside but break the locket open, it could enter into anything or anyone." He sighed."I would have to look through my books and maybe the books downstairs. If Regulus was planning on destroying it when he stole it, maybe he knew how and left something here."

"Okay," said Samantha. "We'll look through the library this afternoon."

"We should go to Diagon Alley before that and pick up some supplies," said Severus. They walked over to the ladder, Severus climbing down first and helping Samantha. "I need to get some Potion supplies for the kids so that we can have them brew some mixtures for practice. I also need to go to Gringott's and get some items out of my vault."

"It's going to take us forever to get through security at Gringott's," said Samantha as they descended the stairs to the third floor.

"Then we should leave soon, then, shouldn't we," said Severus. He knocked on a door.

"Come in," said a male voice. Severus opened the door and stepped inside.

"Sam and I are going to Diagon Alley," he told the Trio. "You all are to stay here. Please try not to get into any trouble. I know that's asking a lot from the three of you, but hopefully today will be my lucky day."

"Alright," said Hermione with a grin, "we'll see you when you get back."

"It may be a while," said Samantha from the hall. "We have to go to Gringott's, but we should definitely be back before dinner."

"You two have fun, then," said Ron cheekily, doing his best imitation of his mother. "Behave yourselves and don't get into any trouble."

"Yes, we'll keep that in mind," said Severus as he shut the door. "I am going to end up strangling Weasley by the time this is over."

Samantha laughed. They went to their rooms to change into robes. Samantha was pulling on her cloak as she walked into Severus's room. He was standing in front of the mirror, changing his hair color and length. He turned around and held out his arms. "Well, Sam, what to you think about Jacob Prince?"

Samantha tilted her head at him, looking over his hazel eyes and emerald robes. She walked over and touched his face.

"He's alright," she said with a smirk. "Most women would think he's really handsome and charming."

"Hmm…handsome and charming," said Severus as put his hands on her waist. "Do you think he's handsome and charming, my dear Samantha?"

"Not really," she said with a wide grin. He smiled at her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He grabbed her hand and they left for the park to disapparate.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13- A Day in the Life of a Death Eater**

_All wish to possess knowledge, but few, comparatively speaking, are willing to pay the price.- Juvenal_

For a Sunday at noon, Diagon Alley was practically deserted. Samantha and Severus walked towards the tall white building at the end of the Alley, passing very few shoppers. Severus's eyes darted back and forth, watching for any signs of attackers. Samantha watched a woman outside of Madam Malkin's pull a hood over her child's face. The woman then picked the child up and walked briskly towards the apparition point, frequently looking behind her. Samantha grabbed Severus's hand. He looked at her and gave her a small smile as they reached the silver doors of the bank.

Inside, the lines weren't long at all. Bill's desk was empty, as he was still on his honeymoon with his new wife. After about a two hour wait, a goblin by the name of Griphook led Samantha and Severus to a cart. Severus sat casually, his arm on the edge of the cart. Samantha closed her eyes as the cart shot off, her hands clutching the front of Severus's robes tightly. She could feel him laughing, and felt his hand rub her back. After a few minutes, the cart stopped.

"Vault 524," droned the goblin. Samantha stood shakily as Severus stepped out of the cart with ease. He held a hand towards her and helped her out.

"I hate these damn things," muttered Samantha. She handed the goblin her key. The creature opened the door and stood to the side.

Samantha had quite a bit of gold saved up. She never went on big splurges and had no large expenses. Her job paid well enough for her, and her vault reflected her thriftiness. She stepped inside as Severus handed her a large sack.

"Better take most of it, Sam," said Severus out of the corner of his mouth. "I don't know when you'll be able to go back to work. You need to notify Kingsley and let him know you're going on extended leave."

"Oh good," said Samantha as she scooped handfuls of galleons into the sack. "They pay me for extended leave, you know."

"When this is over, I am definitely going to look into working at the Ministry," muttered Severus as he watched her empty her vault except for about 50 galleons and some sickles. She put the bulging sack in the pocket of her robes and grudgingly got back in the cart. She clung to Severus as the cart shot off again. She was still holding on to his robes with a death grip when they stopped again.

"Vault 1073," droned the goblin. Severus handed Griphook his key and stepped out of the cart. He helped Samantha as she stumbled out, her face a light shade of green.

The door opened on a massive vault, full to the brim with gold, jewels, old portraits and lots of books. Samantha stared openmouthed as Severus began scooping galleons into another sack.

"My former job also paid well, as you can see," said Severus smirking. "My overtime bonuses from both my former employers were ridiculous." He filled four more sacks, placing them inside an empty trunk. He looked over the books stacked near the back wall. He shrank one every now and then, tossing it inside with his gold. He was walking towards the door, shrinking the trunk when he saw a strange black leather-bound book sitting on top of an old chest. Samantha followed his gaze and reached down to pick up the book. She handed it to Severus, who turned it over in his hands.

"I've never seen this before," he said softly as he placed the tiny trunk in his pocket. "The last time I was here was over two years ago, and it definitely wasn't here then." He opened the front cover and nearly dropped the book. He fumbled with a white envelope that fell out of the book. He glanced at it, but the name on the title page caught his attention.

"Sam," he said, motioning her over. "Look at this."

She walked over to where he was standing and read:

**This book belongs to Regulus Arcturus Black.**

**  
**"Oh my God," breathed Samantha. Severus shut the envelope inside the front cover with a snap and shrank it, placing it in his pocket with the others.

"Let's go, Sam," said Severus as he walked quickly out of the vault. He held Samantha tight as the rode the rickety cart back up to the main lobby of the bank. Samantha practically ran out the doors, taking several deep breaths of fresh air to calm her stomach. Severus strode gracefully out of the bank a few minutes later, placing an obscene amount of paper bills into another pocket on the inside of his cloak. He grabbed Samantha's elbow gently and walked her towards Flourish and Blotts.

"We'll do books first," he said, smirking. "We can wait until your stomach settles before we hit the Apothecary."

She glared at him as they entered the bookshop. They split up, Severus heading towards the section on Defense while Samantha picked up a few books on Charms and various kinds of Transfiguration. She paid for her books at the counter and waited for Severus to finish. After about 45 minutes, she started to get a little worried. She rose to go look for him when he came down one of the aisles holding seven books and levitating a large stack behind him. The clerk gaped at him when Severus put all the books on the counter. He paid the shocked clerk and shrank the packages. He pocketed them and took the bag Samantha was carrying from her hands. They walked from there to the Apothecary, where Severus quickly bought five standard potion kits, along with ample amounts of rare ingredients needed for some medicinal potions. He had the clerk place unbreakable charms on all the jars as he paid for the stores.

They were walking back towards the apparition point when they passed by a dark shop window displaying various wand accessories. Severus pulled Samantha into the shop where they were greeted by an elderly woman.

"Good afternoon," said the woman as she stepped out from behind the counter. "Can I help you find anything?"

"Yes, actually," said Severus. "I'm looking for some wand holsters. Preferably ones that strap to the wrist."

"Those are over here towards the back," said the woman. She led them to a large table and pointed to the middle display. "Those are the only ones I have, but they're the best. A flick of the wrist will send the wand right into the caster's grip. They have anti-Summoning charms on them as long as the wand is in the holster. The owner can also activate a built-in charm where only they can remove the wand from the holster."

"Sounds perfect," said Severus as he picked up one in black leather. "How much are they?"

"They're 20 galleons a piece," said the woman hestiantly. "I know that's a little high, but these holsters are one of a kind and -"

"I'll take five of them," said Severus. He picked out five in black and handed them to the woman. She quickly ran over to the register and took the gold from Severus's hands. She wrapped the parcel in brown paper, which Severus put in the sack with his potion ingredients. Thanking the woman for her help, they left the store and continued on to the apparition point.

"Why did you buy us holsters?" asked Samantha, watching the street around her.

"Because we might need them when we go in search of splintered bits of evil incarnate," said Severus softly, his eyes once again darting to and fro. "Besides, I've always wanted one. I just never had any reason to buy one until now."

Samantha smiled as Severus let go of her hand. With a quick glance behind him, he nodded at Samantha. They left the Alley with a sharp crack and reappeared in the park. Samantha transfigured their robes into Muggle clothing as walked quickly down the deserted street to the 12. They pushed open the door of the house and walked to the drawing room. Hermione was draped across a chair with a book in her hands, while Harry and Ron lay in the floor playing a game of chess. All three looked up when Samantha and Severus entered the room.

"Well, we're back," said Samantha, taking her bag of books from Severus so he could cancel his glamour. "And we come bearing gifts."

"Wicked!" said Ron as he sat up. "Did you get any Every Flavor Beans?"

"Or Chocolate Frogs?" asked Harry as he stared at the chess board in frustration.

Severus snorted and started unshrinking his many packages. "No, Mr. Weasley. We got you things much more useful than snacks to rot your teeth." He tossed a thick book at the redhead, who caught it on reflex.

"_Hogwarts, A History_?" cried Ron as he read the cover, a look of utter horror on his face. He held the book at arms length. "You can't be serious?"

"Oh, I am very serious, Mr. Weasley," said Severus as he shuffled through his other books. "That is one of many that the three of you will be reading during your brief stint at The Snape Institute for Accelerated Learning. Best start now."

Ron turned to Hermione, a pleading look on his face. She rolled her eyes at him and turned back to her book.

"Serves you right for all the times you teased me about reading that book," said Hermione as she flipped the page.

"Oh, but wait, it gets better," said Samantha with a grin. "We also got lots of potion ingredients."

Harry and Ron both groaned. Harry rested his forehead on the floor, his moaning muffled by the carpet. Severus chuckled softly and unwrapped the small brown package.

"Quit your whining, children," said Severus with a grin. He walked over and dropped a holster in both Hermione and Ron's lap, while he dropped Harry's on top of his moaning head. "You will need to wear these every day and keep your wands in them. They strap to your wand arm. Flick your wrist and your wand will come out right into your hand." He watched as Harry strapped his on and stuck his wand in it. He stood up and gave his wrist a hard flick, sending his holly wand into his hand. Severus smiled at his amazed expression.

"I doubt you even have to flick your wrist that hard, Potter," said Severus. "As you get used to them, you'll develop a feel for how much movement is necessary."

"Thank you, sir," said Harry as he lowered his sleeve down over the holster. "What other books did you get?"

"Most are just copies of potion books that I left sitting in my former office," said Severus as he tossed Harry a copy of _Hogwarts, A History._ "A lot of the books we need for you three, Sam and I already have. I'm sure between you three and Samantha and I, we have all the standard text books currently used by Hogwarts staff. I will also be teaching all of you at least the basics of Occlumency."

"Uh, right," said Harry, looking away from Severus. Ron and Hermione shared a concerned look, and watched Harry with unease. Severus exhaled loudly.

"Potter, I must apologize for our earlier attempts at Occlumency," said Severus softly. "I was under a lot pressure from Albus to teach you quickly. As such, I neglected to instruct you properly as to the methods and expected you to meet an absurdly high proficiency level in a short amount of time. Rest assured, this time around will be much better."

"I'm sorry too, sir," said Harry as he lifted his head. Looking Severus in the eye, he spoke in a clear tone. "You were right when you said that I wasn't trying because I wanted the dreams to continue. Not for the reasons you gave, but because I wanted to keep things like what happened to Mr. Weasley from happening to anyone else. I'm also sorry for the Pensieve thing. That was completely inexcusable and you had every right to throw me out."

"Yes, I got a lecture from Albus about that," said Severus with a smile. "I yelled at him for about an hour and stormed out of his office. One of many regrets." He turned away from Harry and levitated his books behind him. "Sam, if you could come with me and help me put these away, I would appreciate it." Samantha took the hint, and left the blackbirds in the drawing room, Ron and Hermione asking tight-lipped Harry about the Pensieve.

Severus dumped the books on his bed as Samantha walked into the room. He shut the door and pulled out the black book from his vault, enlarging it as he sat at his desk. Samantha conjured a chair and sat down beside him to read over his shoulder. Without a word, Severus removed the envelope and opened the letter.

_Snape-_

_  
I gave this book to Albus to give to you. I figured you would want it, since you were good friends with my little brother. I didn't really read it too carefully. It seemed pretty dodgy to me, full of Dark Arts stuff and weird calculations and symbols - something that might appeal to someone like you. I didn't want Harry to stumble across it by mistake at Headquarters._

_  
Sirius Black_

_  
_"For once, his idiocy pays off," said Severus. He gave the letter to Samantha to read as he opened to the first entry. He shook his head and turned to another entry about a quarter of the way in.

"Were a lot of Death Eaters promoted that quickly after joining?" asked Samantha, reading the entry over his shoulder. Severus shook his head.

"No, it usually took more than two years of service in the field, as it were," he answered. "I was shocked when Regulus was promoted after only six months. Lucius ranted about it for months afterward." He turned to another, this one about halfway through the book. After a few seconds, he closed the book and handed it to Samantha. He rested his head in his hand, his other hand tapping the edge of the chair softly. Samantha flipped through the pages, noting that there were no entries after November 17, 1979. She turned the pages slowly, glancing quickly at the bold script. Most of the entries were accounts of normal, daily events detailing meetings with old friends or Death Eater associates. Severus's name cropped up every now and then. She turned the next page and saw that the entry was a list of what looked like ingredients in a potion. Two words were underlined at the top.

"Severus, is Rivière Noire a potion?" she asked, running her finger down the page. "It has a lot of really powerful ingredients if it is."

"It's a Dark potion," said Severus. He looked up at her and took the book from her hands. "I've never brewed it myself. I saw it in a book once. I don't remember which one, though." He read the list, tapping a finger against his lips. "Why would Regulus write this particular potion down?" Severus got up and handed the book back to Samantha. He walked over and picked up several books off the bed. He sat back down at the desk and looked for any references to the potion. He flipped through one and stopped to read a passage.

"Sam, listen to this," he said. He lifted the book up and read. "'This potion can be used as a base for other potions. However, one must use caution, as some of these more powerful potions can be dangerous, capable of reproducing the soul-destroying effects of Dementors.'" He looked at her with bright, excited eyes. "This could be just the thing we were talking about earlier!" He bent over the desk again, rapidly reading about the base potion and cross-referencing some ingredients. "Sam, can you get me some parchment and ink?"

"Of course," said Samantha as she ran to her room. She sprinted back to Severus and held out a roll of parchment and a quill and ink. He unscrewed the lid of the ink and began to scrawl notes onto the paper.

"You know, I'm not really a big fan of green ink," he said as he reread something.

"Well, it's a good think I didn't ask you then, isn't it?" replied Samantha smartly. She heard a knock on the doorframe and turned around.

"Dinner's ready if you're are hungry," said Harry. He noticed Severus tossing a book on the ground and leaning back in his chair to pull another off the bookshelf behind him. Harry gave Samantha a questioning look.

"I believe we might have found a way to get rid of a certain locket," said Samantha. She made to follow Harry out of the room when she looked back at Severus, who was completely immersed in his research. "Severus, come to dinner. You need to tell us more about this potion that you're going to be brewing."

Severus growled at her. "Sam, I need to do research before we start hacking up ingredients. It's going to take me a while before we're ready to -"

"All the more reason to come to dinner," said Samantha. She went over and grabbed Severus by the arm, physically pulling him away from the desk. "I'm sure our blackbirds would love a little homework to keep them busy."

Severus resigned himself to be led out of the room and down to the kitchen. They opened the door to find Ron and Hermione snogging by the stove.

"Oi," cried Harry, "get a room, you two!". The two teenagers broke apart quickly, each blushing furiously. Hermione turned back to the stove. Ron busied himself with getting out plates and silverware. Severus laughed at them and sat down at the table.

"You two have solved your disagreement from this morning, then?" said Samantha with a wink at Harry. "I would hate to have to go back to my flat to get spare dishes." Harry snorted and quickly turned it into a cough as Ron glared at him, slamming down some forks. Hermione set some platters on the table while Harry gave a pot on the stove a quick stir. He flicked his wand and levitated it over to the table.

"Harry!" cried Hermione. "What are you doing? You're still underage! The Ministry's going to send you a notice!"

"No, they're not," said Harry as he set the pot on the table. "According to what Dumbledore told me, they can't determine who cast the spell if you live in a magical household. Since the four of you can legally do magic, and have been the entire time we've been here, I figured that the Ministry wouldn't notice a little more."

"Spoken like a true Slytherin," said Severus as he ladled out some soup for Samantha. He set down the bowl in front of her and gave Harry a shrewd look. "In fact, that's very Slytherin thinking, especially for a Gryffindor." He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Who are you, and what have you done with Potter?"

"Well, sir, I _was_ almost put in your house," said Harry as he sat across from Samantha and served himself some soup. "But I talked the Sorting Hat out of it."

"I didn't even know you could do that," said Samantha. "My mother would have loved for me to have talked the Hat into putting me in Ravenclaw. She about keeled over when she found out I was in Slytherin."

"I was almost put in Ravenclaw," said Hermione as she reached for her glass of water. "But the Hat decided on Gryffindor."

Severus swallowed. "Why did you talk the Hat out of Slytherin, Potter?" he asked. "You definitely would not have turned out like you have, had you been in my house."

"I had met Malfoy in Diagon Alley and on the Express," said Harry as he took a bite of soup. "I didn't like him, so I told the Hat to pick any house but Slytherin."

"Yes, Draco does make interesting first impressions," said Severus. "I don't know how many times I tried to tell him to watch what he says to people. He's been that way ever since he was little."

"You've know Malfoy since he was little?" asked Ron around a mouthful of bread.

"Of course," said Severus haughtily. "He's my godson. Or _was_, I suppose. I haven't heard from him since the night Narcissa was killed. And after yesterday, I doubt the boy will ever speak to me again."

"Malfoy was at the attack?" asked Hermione.

"Yes," answered Severus. He took a sip of water. "Along with several other classmates. Young Crabbe and Goyle, Nott and Parkinson."

"Figures," muttered Ron. There was an uncomfortable silence, borken only by the sound of spoons against bowls. Severus stared down into his food, deep in thought about Draco. He felt a hand on his arm, and gave Samantha a small smile.

"So, tell us about this potion, Professor," said Harry. "You said something about research?"

"I found a book that must have been willed to me by your godfather," said Severus. "It was the journal of Regulus Black. Inside on one of the pages was a potion that turned out to be the base for some pretty nasty soul-destroying potions."

"So we just dump the locket in a cauldron of this stuff, and that's it?" asked Ron.

Severus rolled his eyes. "No, Weasley. We first have to find a potion with this base that will crack the gold of the locket along with destroying Voldemort's soul. That's the tricky part."

Ron looked from Severus to Hermione, confusion written all over his face. Hermione sighed.

"We have to find a way to keep Voldemort's soul from escaping and possessing something else, Ron," said Hermione.

"Right," said Ron, "that's what I was about to say." Hermione just rolled her eyes and continued eating.

"It won't take us very long in this house to find some useful books," said Severus. He finished the rest of his dinner and sat back in his chair. "You're not a bad cook, Potter. It's strange that you're so horrible at potions. Usually the two coincide."

Harry shrugged. "I've had more experience cooking for my aunt and uncle than brewing potions. The threat of detention from you is nothing compared to being locked in a room for a week with no food."

"I should've tried that," said Severus thoughtfully. "Merlin knows it probably would have helped Weasley learn something."

"Ha, ha, very funny," said Ron as he stood up from the table. "Come on, let's go look for some books."

"Be careful in there," said Samantha as Hermione and Harry stood up to follow Ron. "I don't know if the Order got to that room to clean it of Dark objects." The Trio nodded and left the room.

"Up for a little research, my dear?" said Severus as he stood and walked behind Samantha's chair. He pulled it out and offered her his elbow. Smiling, Samantha put her arm through it and the couple went upstairs.


	14. Chapter 14

**_A/N: There's been a question about my rating. Sorry I didn't answer it last post. My rating is mainly for violence and language. I feel my lemony writing is cheesy, and I can't get it to read the way I like it. I will try and add some more physical romance between Sam and Severus, but from here on out, it's not vital to the plot, hence my action/adventure genre classification before the romance… _**

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**Chapter 14- Black, White and Shades of Grey  
**

_Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other's eyes for an instant?- Henry David Thoreau _

The five of them spent the rest of the night doing Potions research. Ron suffered a bite early on from one of the books he pulled off a shelf and claimed that research was a danger to his health. He now sat at a table with his head on his arms, snoring loudly. Hermione and Harry found a few books that mentioned the Rivière Noire potion, but they only talked about possible consequences should one attempt to brew a soul-destroying potion. They gave up when the clock struck 11. Harry grabbed the books they had found and shook Ron's shoulder.

"Come on, let's go," said Harry as Ron looked around the room, blinking his eyes. Hermione helped him out of the chair and the three of them climbed the stairs to their rooms. Harry stopped on the second floor.

"I'm just going to take these to Professor Snape and Sam," he said. "You go on. I'll be there in a while."

He walked down the hall and knocked softly. He heard soft footsteps behind the door and it opened to reveal a slightly disheveled Severus. Severus opened the door to let him in, motioning to where Samantha was sleeping on the bed, the covers strewn with parchment full of green ink.

"She's been asleep for while," said Severus softly. "I think she's still healing from that curse from the other day." He sat back down at the desk as Harry walked into the room. He stared at the two bookcases straining under the many books of Severus's library.

"Are these all yours, sir?" whispered Harry as he scanned the titles of the shelf on eye level. Severus laughed softly.

"Yes, Mr. Potter," he said in a low tone, grinning at the boy. "I'm an academic. As such, you tend to acquire texts as birthday and Christmas presents."

"Speaking of," said Harry, holding out the books he was carrying. "These are the only ones we found."

"Thank you for looking," said Severus as he took the books and set them on the desk. "It saved me the time of doing it myself." He sighed softly. "I think we'll start your lessons tomorrow. Just some exercises to see where the three of you are. I imagine you're all on different levels when it comes to different subjects."

"Doesn't Sam have to go to work in the morning?" asked Harry. "She mentioned that she worked in Kingsley's office."

"Yes, doing mindless paper shuffling," said Severus bitterly. He watched Samantha sleep as he continued in a softer tone. "She's going in at 8 tomorrow to tell Shacklebolt she's going on extended leave and then coming straight back. It's not safe for her to be at the Ministry since Voldemort knows she's still alive. There are too many people that wander in and out of that building for my comfort."

"Good," said Harry. At Severus's raised eyebrow, he smiled. "You know, she gave me that same look the night we had dinner at Remus's and it reminded me so much of you. Gave me chills."

Severus chuckled. "Yes, that tends to happen after you're around a person for almost 30 years. Sam and I have so many shared mannerisms, that it's hard to remember who had which one first." Harry smiled. An easy silence descended on the room, as they both watched Samantha reposition herself on the bed.

"Can I ask you something, sir?" asked Harry as he nervously ran a hand through his perpetually messy hair.

"You may," said Severus cautiously, "but I reserve the right to answer you."

"Fair enough, sir," said Harry. He sat on the floor, his back to the bookshelves. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again before he uttered a sound. Severus smirked slightly at him.

"Potter, I am much too tired tonight to reprimand you for speaking your mind," said Severus with a grin. Harry looked up at him sharply. "Simply say whatever it is that has you so tongue-tied. We can clarify your meaning from there."

Harry nodded slowly. He bent his head, gazing down at his hands in his lap.

"Do you think Malfoy really wanted to kill Dumbledore?" asked Harry softly. He looked back up at Severus. "Do you really think he would have gone through with it if the other Death Eaters hadn't shown up that night, if you hadn't done it for him?

Severus stared at him in slight shock. He gazed into those brilliantly green eyes, trying to reconcile this Potter to the one he had interacted with at Hogwarts. This boy was in total contradiction to the stubborn, resentful young man that Severus watched glare at him during feasts and Potions classes.

"You don't have to answer it if you don't want," said Harry, sensing that Severus's pause was due to anger over Harry's prying. "I know it's pretty personal for you. But now that I've had time to really think about that night, I'm not so sure that he would have. I just wanted to hear your thoughts. Ron and Hermione think I'm crazy for thinking that Malfoy may not really want to be a Death Eater. It's kind of funny. I spent all of this year trying to convince them he was up to something, and now I'm trying to convince them that he may not really be as evil as we thought."

Severus gave him a sad grin. "I am not in the position to criticize you and your companions for holding grudges. I hold many myself against childhood rivals, as you well know." He sighed. "Draco, he – he grew up in a different world from you and your friends. He has been brainwashed to believe everything that Lucius tells him without question or face dire consequences. Becoming a Death Eater was part of that. It was expected of Draco. It most certainly was not a choice offered to him."

Severus looked away from Harry, his hands fidgeting in his lap.

"Even though I am his godfather, I couldn't stop him from taking the Mark. I talked to him at the end of term his fifth year about it." Severus shook his head. "The doubt was there, even then. Why I didn't act then will always be something I wonder about. Would it have preventing things from getting so out of hand? Would it have prevented Albus's death, had I been more bold? I fear it would have made no difference in the end. Draco had to take the Mark or watch Narcissa be murdered for his disobedience to Voldemort." He chuckled sadly. "However, that happened anyway."

Harry's eyes widened. "She was killed? For him not murdering Dumbledore?"

Severus swallowed thickly as the memory of Draco's eyes and the blood on the ground beneath Narcissa's lifeless body flashed through his mind. He nodded.

"Yes, at the last meeting I attended," said Severus. "Draco was punished with two doses of _Crucio_ before watching Voldemort viciously murder his mother right before his eyes for making me swear the Vow. Draco is utterly alone. I cannot help him now unless he seeks me out, which would be incredibly foolish at this point in time."

Harry shook his head in disbelief. His head snapped up at the sound of Severus chuckling half-heartedly.

"Ironic how you and he now have something in common due entirely to my actions," said Severus morosely. "Both Lily and Narcissa tried to save their sons from being killed by Voldemort with their love. I doubt they realized that it would force both of you into the precarious situations in which you now stand." Harry stared at the ground, deep in thought as Severus rubbed his face tiredly. After a few minutes of silence, he turned to look at Harry.

"Now, it's my turn to ask you a question, Mr. Potter," said Severus. Harry grinned at him.

"Uh oh," said Harry teasingly. "Can I not answer if I don't like the question?"

"I suppose," said Severus, bringing his long fingers together in front of his face. "But I'm very curious to know the answer to this."

Harry sighed. "Alright, sir, fire away."

"Why do I suddenly have your respect?" asked Severus, gazing into the emerald eyes of the boy in front of him. "You threatened every Order member on my behalf the other day after six years of hating me with the fire of a thousand suns. You fired lethal curses at me that night I escaped from Hogwarts. And now we sit here, talking about things as if we're old friends. How did we get here, Mr. Potter?"

Harry sighed and leaned his head back against the shelf.

"I first met Sam at Remus's," he said softly. "He was still in the middle of cooking when she got there, so we went into the other room to talk. She told me that she had been really good friends with you in school. I was instantly suspicious of her. All during dinner, I watched her, trying to figure out if she was some Death Eater in disguise trying to get to me through the Order. Remus got a letter and left. We got to talking about you. I insulted you and she got really upset with me."

"It's one of the few things that makes her really angry," said Severus with a smirk. "Your father and his friends were on the wrong end of some very powerful hexes for comments they made about me in her presence. I think as she got older, your mother kept her from killing them."

Harry smiled. "Well, I told her to prove you were still loyal to us. That's when she told me everything you had told her at the funeral. About how you had been promoted to second-in-command after the Department of Mysteries battle, how Voldemort had given Malfoy the job to kill Dumbledore and that Mrs. Malfoy made you swear to do it if he failed."

"I also had to swear to keep Draco from being hurt," said Severus with a stern glare. "That's one of the _many_ reasons why I was so furious at you that day you hit him with _Sectumsempra_. If Draco had died, I would have died. Immediately."

Harry paled at his words and looked to be sick. Severus waved a hand at him.

"What's done is done, Potter," he said softly. "Draco lived to die another day, and I am, surprisingly, still alive. Continue."

Harry swallowed visibly and started again. "Sam also told me what Dumbledore had said to you on the Tower that night, about the potion he drank. That was the worst part of going to get that damn locket." Harry paused and closed his eyes.

"He told me before he took the first sip to make him drink all of it, even if he said to stop. It was awful. He was screaming at me to kill him by the time we got to the bottom of the basin where the locket was. After we got the locket, he asked for water. The basin was surrounded by this big lake full of bodies. I couldn't get a water charm to work so I dipped the cup into the lake and gave it to him. The bodies, I guess they were Inferi, started to pull me in, but Dumbledore conjured this rope thing made of fire."

"Yes, that's a fairly complex spell," said Severus. "I can teach it to you if you want."

Harry nodded. "Thanks. So, I apparated us back to Hogsmeade. He was asking for you. I tried to go and get Madam Pomfrey but he wouldn't let me get anyone but you. That's when Madam Rosmerta came and told us about the Mark being seen over Hogwarts. We got some brooms and flew up there, with me under my Cloak. He petrified me once Malfoy opened the door. I couldn't do anything. Dumbledore just talked to him, trying to get him to join our side. Then you came through the door."

Harry cleared his throat, trying to ease the lump that had lodged itself there. "I didn't understand how you could that to him. Even now, knowing why you did what you did that night and knowing that Dumbledore had made you and about the Vow, I still have a hard time understanding. But for some reason, I wanted to believe Sam. She was so confident in her trust of you, just like Dumbledore was. I still didn't trust you fully then, but I told her that if you continued to pass the Order good information and if you helped me look for the other Horcruxes, I might give you another chance."

"I tried to find a way out," whispered Severus. He looked down at his hands. "I never wanted it to go that far."

Harry nodded. "I know that now. I don't think any of us could ever understand being in that position and having to do what you did, never mind doing it for years without letting Voldemort find out. Like you said, what's done is done and we can't change anything. I didn't believe you completely until the attack on the Burrow. I watched as you openly betrayed Voldemort to his face, even though you could have been killed instantly. I watched you called him Voldemort, not caring about what the other Death Eaters or the Order members thought. You tried to keep him from getting to Sam. Real Death Eaters don't do that. They don't even understand that kind of thinking. As soon as you threw your cloak and mask at him, I knew you were really with us. It was then that I trusted you 100 percent."

Severus was silent for a few moments. He looked over to where Samantha was still sleeping soundly, turned on her stomach, her hair over her face.

"Thank you, Mr. Potter," said Severus. Harry nodded, understanding what he left unspoken.

"You're welcome, sir," said Harry. They sat in companionable silence until Harry yawned. Severus looked at his watch.

"It's late, Mr. Potter," said Severus as he stood and walked towards the door. "you should get some rest. Thanks again for the books."

"You're welcome, Professor," said Harry as he rose from the floor. "Goodnight, sir."

"Goodnight, Potter."

* * *

The next morning Samantha woke to the feel of someone brushing the hair back from her face. She opened her eyes and smiled at Severus. He smiled back and kissed her forehead. 

"It's 7:15, love," he said as he stood up beside the bed. "You'd better get up if you want to make it to the office by 8."

"Why are you up so early, Severus?" asked Samantha as she sat up, rubbing her face. "You must have gone to bed later than I did."

Severus shrugged and turned his back to her. "I stayed up doing some research on that potion we found and lost track of time." Samantha opened her mouth to yell at him, but he cut her off. "I'll be downstairs when you're ready with your tea." He walked out and shut the door behind him. Samantha sat on the bed for a few minutes, shaking her head. She went and got clean clothes from her room and made her way to the bathroom for a shower.

Fifteen minutes later, she joined Severus in the kitchen. He was reading over the paper when she reached for the cup of tea sitting across from him. He glanced at her, refolded the paper and set it on the table. He handed her a letter from his pocket.

"This came for you while you were in the shower," he said as she reached for it. "Ministry owl, by the look of it."

Samantha turned the envelope over to look at the seal. It was from the Auror office. She opened it and pulled out the note.

"It's from Kingsley," said Samantha as she read over the letter. "He says not to come in today and that he's already filed paperwork for my extended leave." She replaced the note back into the envelope. "Well, that's good news."

"Quite," said Severus as he took a sip of coffee. "If you want, you can send him back a note with Madeline. She should be back upstairs by now. Oh, and when you come back, bring your N.E.W.T. books with you. We need to go over our curriculum for the blackbirds."

"Will do," she said as she got up, her tea in hand. "I'll be back in a few minutes." She opened the door and almost walked right into a rumpled Harry.

"Morning, Sam," said Harry as he stepped aside to let her by. "Are you leaving for work now?"

"No, I'm actually on my way to thank Kingsley for putting me on leave so quickly," said Samantha. "I'll be back down to start breakfast after I send a note."

"Okay," said Harry. He walked to the stove and poured himself a cup of coffee. He sat down across from Severus and pointed a finger at the paper.

"Anything of note in there today, sir?" he asked as he scanned the front page from where he sat.

"Not that I saw," said Severus.

"Good, I hate reading the paper," said Harry as he took a drink of coffee. "I always make Hermione read the important stuff to me."

"Now there's an idea, Potter," said Severus as he tossed the paper to the other end of the table. "I wonder if I could get Sam to do that for me."

"I don't know, sir," said Harry with a grin. "She can be pretty feisty if you get her riled up."

"There is that," muttered Severus as the lady-in-question walked through the door with an armful of books.

"You guys hungry?" asked Samantha as she set the books down in an empty chair. "Did you send Kretcher out for groceries yet, Mr. Potter?"

"Enough already with the 'Mr. Potter," said Harry, grinning. "You're both going to have to get used to calling us by our first names. It's really weird with all the 'Mr. Weasley's and 'Miss Granger's. We all live in the same house now, for crying out loud. And yes, I sent him yesterday while you two were out buying books instead of Chocolate Frogs."

Samantha laughed. "Alright, Harry, but I will warn you now, it may take Severus a lot longer to get used to the change."

"That's okay," said Harry in a light tone. "We have time to work on it."

"I'm sitting right here, you know," said Severus as he stood to watch Samantha cook breakfast. "Can we have some porridge, Sam? I've had enough eggs and bacon."

"Hey, I happen to like eggs and bacon," said Harry from the table.

"We'll have all three, then," said Samantha as she put some pots and pans on the stove. She jabbed her wand underneath one to light a fire. "You wouldn't happen to know what the other two like, do you, Harry?"

"Ron'll eat anything you set in front of him," said Harry. "I don't know about Hermione. I know she eats pretty healthy most of the time. Must be from having dentists for parents."

"Eish," said Samantha as she put bacon in to fry. "I couldn't handle that. I have to have my sweets."

"And yet," said Harry as he took a plate of toast from Severus and set it on the table. "You didn't buy any yesterday."

"She only eats Honeydukes chocolate," said Severus as he toasted more bread. "She doesn't like anything else."

"Whereas Severus is quite partial to Sugar Quills," said Samantha as she cracked some eggs. "I remember one time in fourth year, you were caught by McGonagall eating one in class and got detention." She laughed at Severus's scowl.

"I wasn't the only one doing it," said Severus in a surly tone. "Practically half the class had one in their mouth and I was the only one who was caught."

"Well, it wouldn't have been so obvious if you had eaten it while we were taking notes instead of when we were trying to transfigure teacups," said Samantha. "It was your own fault."

"It still wasn't fair," mumbled Severus. Harry laughed as Hermione walked in the door and sat at the table. She grabbed the paper and started to read.

"Where's Ron?" asked Harry as he got up to get her a cup of coffee.

"I think he's still asleep," said Hermione as she turned the page. "He'll be up once he smells the food."

"There will be no lazing about in bed for anyone," said Severus with a sly grin. "I shall attend to Mr. Weasley." He stalked out of the room. There were a few minutes of silence. All of the sudden, a loud scream came from upstairs. Severus walked in the door moments later with a huge grin on his face.

"I've always wanted to do that," said Severus. He reached around Samantha to grab a piece of bacon, but she hit his hand with her wand.

"Ow!" he cried, rubbing the red welt on the back of his hand. "What did you do that for?"

"You will wait until everything else is ready, Mr. I-Want-Porridge," said Samantha in a sassy tone. "Just go sit down at the table and quit being a nuisance." Ron walked in scowling, rubbing a hand through his wet hair.

"That's a crummy thing to do to someone when they're sleeping, Snape," he said as he gave Hermione a kiss on the cheek and sat down next to Harry.

"You should learn to get up earlier, Weasley," said Severus as he sat down and took a sip of coffee. He made a face and tapped the cup with his wand. Steam rose from the inside and he took another drink. Ron scowled at him and turned to Hermione. "Anyone we know die?"

"No," said Hermione as she refolded the paper. "Nothing but more commentary on security."

"Good," said Ron as he eyed the platter of bacon Samantha put on the table.

"Eat up," said Samantha as she sat next to Severus. "You want to have a good meal before your first day of summer school.

"That's enough to kill anyone's appetite," muttered Ron as he scooped eggs on his plate.

"We'll be starting out light today," said Severus as they all began to eat. "We'll ask you to show us what you can do and go from there. But first, I want to get an idea of where you all are. Harry, let's start with you." Harry laughed at Ron and Hermione's stunned faces.

"I told them to call us by our first names," said Harry, "since we all live in the same house."

Ron grinned and looked at Severus, who raised his eyebrow. "So does that mean I can call you 'Severus' now?"

"No, it most certainly does not, Weasley," said Severus. Ron frowned at him.

"You're more than welcome to call me Samantha or Sam, Ron," said Samantha as she backhanded Severus in the chest. "However, you would do well to keep your foot out of your mouth if you can help it." Ron glared at Severus before going back to his eggs.

"What did you want to know, sir?" asked Harry.

"Actually, I need some parchment," said Severus. "Wait just a moment." He rose and left the room, returning a minute later with ink, a quill, and some scraps of blank parchment. He wrote "Potter" on the top of one and underlined it. "Alright, Harry, what did you get on your O.W.L.s in Potions, Charms, Transfiguration and Defense?

"Exceeds Expectations in the first three, Outstanding in Defense," said Harry.

Severus nodded. "Not bad, not bad. How do you think you were doing in these subjects at the end of last year?"

Harry thought for a moment. "Probably somewhere between Acceptable and Exceeds Expectations. I'm not so sure about Defense." He shifted uneasily in his chair. "I still haven't gotten down how to spell nonverbally with some of the more complicated shields and jinxes."

"But your verbal casting is excellent and you've got quick reflexes," said Severus as he noted the test scores. "Your spell knowledge in Defense is also very advanced for your age group. For example, you can cast the Patronus Charm, correct?"

"Yes, sir," said Harry. "I've been able to since the end of third year. Last time I cast it, my form was a stag."

"Okay," said Severus as he continued to make notes. "Any specific things or subjects you want to learn or spend a little more time on outside of lessons themselves?"

"I'll probably need more time on Potions, seeing as how I don't have the book I was using for class with me," said Harry, looking down into his plate. He glanced up at Severus, who was smirking at him.

"And just where, exactly, is my book, Potter?" he asked. "I spent a lot of time on all those notes in the margins."

"You always were such a showoff in Potions," said Samantha sullenly. "Making up fancy steps in order to improve your potions. You and Lily both. I hated sitting next to you two. Slughorn always gave me that look."

"Tell me about it," muttered Ron.

"I hid it in the Room of Requirement," said Harry. "I hid it that day when you asked me for my books."

"Hm," said Severus with a thoughtful look. "We'll have to get it back."

"Uh," said Harry, not liking the look on Severus's face. "Right. Well, I would like to be fairly advanced in everything. When Dumbledore dueled Voldemort at the Ministry, he did a bunch of awesome spells that had a lot of power, like transfiguring the statue to absorb spells and surrounding Voldemort in a water cocoon."

"I may have to go get some more books from Flourish and Blotts then and do a little studying myself," said Samantha. "Those are way above N.E.W.T. standard. But don't worry," she said at his disappointed look. "I'll see what we can do."

"Next," called Severus. "Hermione. Same questions."

"Outstanding in everything but Defense," she said with a blush. "Exceeds Expectations on that one, although Harry taught me how to do the Patronus Charm during fifth year. My form's an otter."

"Wow," said Samantha. "They weren't kidding when they said you were brilliant, were they?"

"No, we weren't," said Severus as he made notes. "Last year's grades were probably close to the same, correct?"

"Yes, pretty close," said Hermione, nodding her head. "As for other subjects, I would like to do Arithmancy and Ancient Runes if I could."

"Sam could help you with Arithmancy," said Severus. "I chose Runes instead, so I could tutor you in that. Anything else?"

"Not that I can think of," said Hermione.

"Excellent," said Severus as he turned the parchment over on top of Harry's. "And last but not least - Ronald."

"Exceeds Expectations across the board," said Ron. "But I never did get my Patronus down during our DA meetings."

"We'll work on that then," said Severus. "We're planning on teaching you Albus's Patronus Messaging Charm so that in the unfortunate event we get separated or need to contact one another, we can have a tamper-proof way of communicating."

"Wicked!" cried Ron. He took a swig of juice from his cup. "And I'm like Harry, I'll need lots of help with Potions and nonverbal spells. I wasn't doing as well in my classes. My grades were probably closer to Acceptable than Exceeds Expectations."

"That's okay," said Samantha. "We'll get you back up to speed in no time." She turned to Severus, who was looking over all three sheets. "Do you think it would be best to work with them each one-on-one, rotating them between us? The odd one out could have free time to do readings or practice."

"We won't have enough time doing it that way," said Severus. He leaned back in his chair, tracing his lips with his finger. "Most of the lessons will have to be done with all three of them together. We could use one or two evenings for specialty training." He looked at his watch. "It is now 9. Everyone be back here at 10 with any school texts you need and we'll get started."


	15. Chapter 15

**_A/N: Thanks for the reviews! As for Sam and Sev not being married yet...hm. That's an excellent question that I cannot answer at this point without giving away some future plotlines. This story is actually being massively reedited from my rough draft on my livejournal site, so I don't know in which chapter the information will be revealed exactly, but I assure you it will (hopefully) be thoroughly explained in a few chapters._**

**Chapter 15- Welcome to the Snape Institute for Accelerated Learning**

_Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power. -Abraham Lincoln_

A little after 10, the Trio walked into the kitchen carrying all their school books. Samantha and Severus were leaning over three sheets of parchment. Samantha tapped one with her wand, and wrote something down. She looked at Severus with a questioning look. He smiled and nodded.

"Well, we've got a schedule that looks like it will work," said Severus as he made five copies of each of the parchments. He handed each of the blackbirds a set. "Keep them somewhere so that you don't lose them, at least until you've got them memorized. Now, since today is Monday, we will start with Defense. Our first task," he said as he got up from his chair, "will be to find a room in this house big enough for practical lessons. Each of you split up and take a floor. Let us know if you find something."

Everyone walked out of the kitchen and spread out across the house. Samantha walked around the first floor, opening random doors. She found lots of rooms filled to the brim with boxes and old trunks. She walked down a darkened hallway to find herself in front of huge double doors. She lifted her wand, looking at the tarnished silver engravings on one side of the door. She tried the handle and it turned underneath her hand. She pushed the doors open and smiled.

"Severus!" cried Samantha. Her next words were drowned out by a piercing shriek.

"MUDBLOODS! SCUM! FILTHY HALF-BLOODS AND TRAITORS BEFOULING THE HOUSE OF MY -"

The screams were suddenly cut off. Severus came walking down the hall, his hair disheveled. Harry followed him, panting slightly. Ron and Hermione appeared soon after.

"Samantha, please refrain from shouting, woman," growled Severus softly. "Did you find something?"

"Yes, I did, as a matter of fact," said Samantha. She led the way into the room and waved her wand to light any candles. They jumped when a giant chandelier came to life, instantly brightening the huge room. Severus took a few steps into the room, his jaw hanging open.

"It's a ballroom," said Hermione, looking wide-eyed at the expanse of the room. "It's so -"

"Perfect," finished Severus. "Absolutely perfect!" He tilted his head back, gazing at the tall ceilings. "Yes, this will be more than adequate. I hope you weren't planning on hosting any galas, Harry."

"No, sir," said Harry with a smirk. "I'm not really a 'gala' kind of guy."

Severus turned to shut the doors behind them. He walked to the center of the room, unbuttoning his sleeves and rolling them up.

"Shall we begin? Wands out. Nonverbal spelling and shielding, if you please."

The rest of the morning passed quickly. By lunch, Harry had gotten the hang of nonverbal jinxing, hitting Ron with a well-placed Jelly-Legs. Hermione worked with Samantha on timing and increasing the speed of her reflexes.

"Alright, that's enough for today," said Severus loudly. "If you three would reread the sections in _Confronting the Faceless_ on nonverbal casting for Wednesday. Weasley, I want you to do a little extra practice."

"Got it," said Ron, reholstering his wand. "What's for lunch?"

"Whatever you can fix, Ron," said Samantha as she walked out of the room. "I'm sorry to say that I am not a house-elf and will not be doing all the cooking. You all are on your own for today."

"What do you mean, you're not going to cook?" cried Severus as he ran after her. "I can't make anything that's worth eating!"

"What did you say yesterday, Professor?" said Harry with chuckle, following the pair out of the room. "Something about potion skills and cooking coinciding?"

"I distinct remember saying they _usually_ coincide," said Severus softly so as to not reawaken Mrs. Black. "I never said anything about me being able to cook." He ran quietly after Samantha into the kitchen.

Ron and Harry laughed softly all the way down the hall while Hermione just shook her head. They pushed open the kitchen door to see Samantha leaning against the stove, her arms crossed over her chest, glaring at Severus.

"You are pushing your luck," she said crossly. The Trio started making some sandwiches. "I caution you to stop while you're ahead."

"Fine," growled Severus. He walked stiffly over to the table and sat, propping an elbow up on the table. He grabbed an apple out of the bowl in front of him and took a loud crunching bite. Samantha rolled her eyes and began to slap together a turkey sandwich with mustard and tomatoes. Harry offered her a piece of lettuce but Samantha shook her head. She picked up the plate and walked over to where Severus was still noisily eating his apple. She slammed the plate down in front of him.

"Stop being such a child, Severus," she said as he looked up at her with grateful eyes. "Your pouting is getting on my nerves."

He gave her a dashing smile. "Thank you, love. Have I told you how beautiful you are today?"

"Shut up and eat, Severus," said Samantha, narrowing her eyes at him but a small grin played about her lips. "I think your free time today can be used looking for cookbooks in the library." Severus frowned at her and took a bite out of his sandwich.

At 12:45, the Trio cleaned up all the dishes and food. Severus stood and left the room without a word. He came back after about 10 minutes.

"Go and get your cauldrons" he said. "Meet me on the fourth floor landing and we'll start Potions class." He turned on his heel and left. Ron and Harry sighed, and with heavy faces went up to their rooms after a bouncing Hermione. The three of them, along with Samantha, met Severus at the top of the stairs on the fourth floor and followed him to the end of the hall. He walked into a moderate-sized room, furnished only with a small wooden table. He looked from it to Samantha.

"Sam, if you would do us the honor of turning this table into something a bit more practical," he said waving his arm at the table.

"Sure thing," said Samantha. She waved her wand, and the table grew, taking up a third of the room. She waved her wand again and conjured three stools. Severus smiled at her as the kids sat down and put their cauldrons in front of them. He handed her the sack of potion ingredients and she handed each of them a standard kit. Severus looked at the wall behind him. He tapped it, turning it into a blackboard.

"And you made me make your table?" asked Samantha with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, dear," said Severus in a suffering tone. "This is the only large bit of Transfiguration I can do reliably. As you can see, it's not exactly the most useful thing in the world. Now," he turned to address the kids, "let's start with some antidotes. Sam, could you go get your book for Harry to use, please?" She nodded and left. Severus waved his wand over his shoulder at the chalkboard, covering it in spiky writing. Samantha walked back in and handed Harry her book.

"Open your books to page 134, and begin making the potion listed on that page. You have an hour and a half. You can copy down the notes while your potions are brewing."

At the end of the lesson, Severus stopped them and looked into each of their cauldrons.

"Textbook quality, Hermione," said Severus as he gave her potion a tiny stir. "You have a wonderful grasp on brewing technique. However, you would benefit greatly from learning to be a bit more flexible in your brewing to enhance your potions. You and I will work on this on Tuesdays and Thursdays during one of your free periods." He moved on to Harry's, which looked similar to Hermione's, but it wasn't quite the shade of yellow the book mentioned. Severus nodded.

"Not terrible, Harry," said Severus as he stirred his potion. "You added too much of an ingredient by mistake. Judging from the consistency of your potion, it wasn't anything major. It looks to me to have been the pomegranate juice. I want you to read over chapters 4 and 6, paying special attention to the properties of each ingredient. You may want to cross-reference them with your previous potions text as well. You and I will have extra lessons on theory and ingredient properties, say on -" he looked over at his copy of their schedule, "- Wednesday nights. Just for an hour or two after dinner, nothing too intense. Just enough to ensure you don't blow up my lab."

He moved over to Ron's cauldron and frowned. He ladled some potion, letting the lime green substance splash back down into the rest.

"And what exactly is this supposed to be, Weasley?" said Severus in a sneering tone. Ron gulped at the familiar glare from Severus.

"Uh, the - uh - the base potion for common antidotes," he said weakly. "Sir."

"Weasley, this potion is completely worthless," said Severus. He pointed his wand at the cauldron, vanishing the contents. "I think it's safe to say that potions is _not_ your specialty. We certainly cannot have you wasting ingredients." Samantha gave Ron a sympathetic look. Severus walked slowly in front of the table. He turned back to Ron with a triumphant look on his face. Ron's face paled.

"Samantha, do you still remember most of the spells from your extra credit work in the hospital wing with Madam Pomfrey?" asked Severus, still smiling at Ron.

"Yes," said Samantha slowly. "I have a few books on Mediwizardry as well."

"Excellent," said Severus. "Mr. Weasley, I regret to inform you that you are being kicked out of my Potions class. If Sam will consent, I think you would be much better suited for learning some basic healing spells and charms with her instead. It'll be good to have more than one person in our group who's good at healing."

"Wicked!" said Ron. He gave Harry a smug look.

"Clean up your stations," said Severus. "Hermione, you and Weasley are done for today. Perhaps you could work on Weasley's nonverbal spelling from this morning? Sam can go with you."

"Come, my little blackbirds, back to the ballroom," said Samantha. The three of them left the room. Severus turned back to Harry.

"You and I are going to practice Occlumency," said Severus. He took a deep breath and exhaled. "Follow me."

Severus walked down the stairs, noticing Harry's increasing nervousness as they neared Severus's room. He pushed open the door and motioned Harry inside. Severus went to Samantha's room and grabbed her desk chair, bringing it in for Harry. He set the chair across from his own, turning it to face the other and sat down.

"Please, sit down, Harry," said Severus. Harry sat down slowly, stiff and apprehensive. Severus sighed. "Please try and relax. I won't be hitting you with _legilimens_ for a little while yet. You're much too wound up at the moment. Sit for a minute and clear your mind."

"How do I do that, sir?" asked Harry tentatively. "You've told me that before, but I don't understand how."

Severus thought for a moment. He stood and pulled a book off his shelf. He opened the book to the first page, scanning down the contents before finding the page he wanted. Severus handed the book to Harry to read and retook his seat.

"There's an explanation, although I personally found it more confusing than helpful."

Severus waited as Harry read the passage. Harry closed his eyes and sat still for a few moments. He frowned and opened his eyes, looking back down at the book. He reread the passage and tried again. After a few more minutes, Harry opened his eyes and looked at Severus.

"Ready?" asked Severus as he stood and pulled his wand. Harry nodded and did the same. They moved to where there was a bit of open space in the room.

"You can use a spell to repel me if you so choose. All I ask is that the spell not be _protego _or anything that will kill me. But try to use just your mind to push me out. Brace yourself." He paused to let Harry ready himself. "On three then. One…two…three! _Legilimens!"_

For a few moments, Severus didn't see anything. Everything was dark inside Harry's mind. Severus pushed against the walls, smiling slightly at the vast improvement. But as soon as he pushed, Harry's wall shattered and memories of a green light and his own pale face filled Severus's vision. He quickly ended the spell, shaking slightly. Harry was breathing heavily, a light sheen of sweat on his forehead.

"Sit down for a minute, Harry," said Severus. The boy sat in the chair, looking up at him with an ashen face. Severus gave himself a mental shake and continued in an even tone. "That was a good start. You kept me out at first. It was only after I put a little more into the spell when your walls fell." Severus conjured a small goblet and filled it with water. He handed it to Harry, who drank it quickly. Harry handed it back to Severus, who set it behind him on the desk. Severus let Harry sit for a while to calm down.

"Do you feel up to trying again?" asked Severus. The boy nodded and stood up again. Harry closed his eyes for a moment. He opened them and nodded at Severus.

"On three," said Severus softly. "One…two…three! _Legilimens!"_

_  
_Once again, Severus saw nothing but darkness. Harry's eyes were squinting in the effort of keeping his walls up. Severus pushed gently against the walls, but this time they held firm. Severus cancelled the spell, not wanting to hurt Harry by forcing the walls to break. Harry smiled at Severus, who returned the gesture.

"Well done, Harry," said Severus, "well done, indeed. Since Occlumency is rather draining, we'll stop here for today. Take that book with you." Severus pointed his wand at the book sitting open on Harry's chair. "Read whatever you think would help you the most. I've got another when you've finished with that one." Severus frowned as Harry rubbed his scar. "Is your scar bothering you?"

Harry dropped his hand quickly. "It's just tingling a bit. It did this the last time I had lessons with you too."

"Hm," said Severus. He went over to stand right in front of Harry, who was nearly as tall as himself. He saw Harry tense as he lifted a finger, running it lightly over the red lightning bolt on the boy's forehead. Harry shivered and backed away slightly.

"Harry, are you alright?" asked Severus as he stepped back quickly. "I didn't mean to make it worse."

"No, it's okay," said Harry. He rubbed the scar a couple of times. "It just felt weird when you did that."

"Well, we will definitely stop for today," said Severus. He picked up _The Extensive Guide to Occlumency_ and handed it to Harry. "Why don't you go and rest a little before dinner. You're still a little pale."

Harry nodded and left the room. Severus turned his chair back around to face the desk and sat down. He ran a hand through his hair as he went over the memory he had seen briefly in Harry's mind. Severus shuddered at seeing the green light shoot out of his wand, once again reminding him of every bad decision he had ever made. He leaned over his desk, resting his head on his arms.

He jumped awake at the feel of a hand on his back. He turned to see Samantha, grimacing at the soreness in his neck. She put a plate of food on the desk and stood behind his chair. She began to massage his back, working her way up to his neck and back down again.

"How long was I asleep?" he asked as he leaned into her touch.

"About 3 hours or so," said Samantha softly. "It's already a little past 7." He nodded and bent his head forward, stretching the muscles under her hands.

"How is Harry? We had our first Occlumency lesson," asked Severus. Samantha pulled away and lifted Severus's head. She frowned slightly at the paleness of his face.

"He seemed fine to me," said Samantha. "He was his normal, chipper self at dinner. You, however, look awful. You should've gone to bed last night, Severus."

"Yes, thank you for the reminder, Samantha," said Severus. He stood up and stretched a little, reaching for the plate of food Samantha had brought him. He sat down on the bed to eat. Samantha sat down next to him.

"How did the lesson go?" said Samantha. Severus took a bite of mashed potatoes and swallowed.

"It went really well, considering," said Severus. "The first time I got past his walls with a little pressure, but the second time, his walls were more solid. We'll work up to where he can withstand a spell cast at full force. If he keeps this pace up, I may be able to teach him some Legilimency as well."

"That's great," said Samantha. "I'm glad it's going well."

"Where are the kids now?" asked Severus, taking a bite of meat.

Samantha smiled and lay down next to him on the bed. "I think they decided to work in the ballroom. Ron's been there all afternoon working on his nonverbals. I checked in on them before I came up here. Harry was reading your Occlumency book and Hermione and Ron were working on spell casting."

"Good," said Severus. He finished eating and set the plate on his bedside table. He gazed at Samantha, who had her eyes closed and a small smile on her face. He slid off his shoes and lay down beside her, putting his head on her stomach. Samantha ran a hand through his hair as his breathing deepened. After a few minutes, she looked down and grinned. Severus had fallen back asleep. She leaned back in the bed and fell asleep.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16- Slytherin Bravery and Gryffindor Cunning**

_The block of granite which was an obstacle in the pathway of the weak becomes a stepping-stone in the pathway of the strong.- Thomes Carlyle_

The next several weeks rushed by in a blur of lessons and specialty training. Surprisingly, Ron picked up the healing spells swiftly, having an opportunity to demonstrate after a mock duel during a particularly difficult DADA lesson.

"Harry! Will you just let me see it?" cried Ron as Harry cradled his arm, crying out in pain as blood ran all over the floor.

"I didn't mean for it to hit him that hard," cried Hermione, tears glistening in her eyes. "It bounced off the wall!'

"Hermione, calm down," said Severus as he grabbed Harry around the waist to keep him upright. "He'll be fine." He stumbled slightly as Harry swooned a little. "Weasley! Start your spell!"

Ron quickly moved his wand down Harry's arm, tracing the long cut that ran from his bicep to his wrist. Ron started at the top again and ran his wand over the cut, healing it even further. After a few minutes, all that was left of the cut was a thin, white line. Harry smiled at Ron and promptly fainted in Severus's arms.

"You did great, Ron," said Samantha, smiling at Ron's horrified face as Severus lifted Harry up and carried him from the room. "He's just a little woozy is all. A nap and some blood replenisher, and he'll be right as rain. You and Hermione go and start your readings for tomorrow while Harry rests. We'll take the rest of the day off."

As was expected, Hermione picked up the basics of Occlumency extremely rapidly, but failed to keep Severus out when he hit her with a full-powered _Legilimens._ Ron was even worse at it, not even being able to clear his mind even a little. Those sessions usually ended with Ron yelling at Severus in frustration and Severus very nearly throwing him bodily from the room. They had moved to an empty room on the third floor due to Ron's accidental magic shattering all of the inkwells in Severus's room.

Harry, however, improved by leaps and bounds under Severus's tutelage. They formed a friendship of sorts, much to the shock and amazement of Ron and Hermione. However, they were not without an occasional bout of arguing.

"Again," said Severus harshly. Harry was on his knees, shaking slightly and breathing hard. "You are not shutting your emotions down completely."

"Just give me a second, alright?" said Harry, annoyed.

"Tread carefully, Potter," ground out Severus through his clenched jaw. "You still have remedial potions with me tonight after dinner. You would be best served by shutting your mouth." Harry glared savagely up at him as he pushed himself up from the floor. He glowered at Severus as he raised his wand.

"_Legilimens!"_ cried Severus. Harry's weak walls broke immediately. Severus saw flashes of various scenes with Harry's muggle relatives interspersed with some featuring himself at Hogwarts. He could feel Harry fighting to get his walls back up, so he held the spell to see if he could actually reconstruct a decent mental block. Flashes of the Department of Mysteries battle flew across Harry's mind, ending with Black falling through the Veil. Severus broke the spell as Harry fell on all fours to the floor. He sat in one of the chairs they had moved into the room as Harry's breathing hitched.

"You are going to have to deal with these events in such a way as to not render your Occlumency worthless," said Severus evenly. "You give these memories much more power over you than is wise."

"I can't!" yelled Harry. "I can't just forget them entirely!"

"That is not at all what I am suggesting," said Severus sternly. "You simply must learn how to –"

"—control my emotions," growled Harry. "It doesn't matter if I don't know _how_ to do that, does it? It doesn't matter that Voldemort keeps killing people that I love, does it?" His volume increased as he stood up. "What bloody difference does it make if I survive and no one else does!"

"Potter!" shouted Severus. "Quit being so melodramatic! Sit down!"

Harry gave an inarticulate scream. He whipped out his wand and slashed it violently through the air, conjuring a stiff wooden chair. Severus jumped up out of his seat as Harry hurled the chair against the wall, scattering shards of wood all over the floor. He made to conjure another, but Severus disarmed him silently, catching the holly wand in his free hand. Severus could feel the rage radiating from Harry, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

"Are we through for today, _sir?_" ground out Harry. He turned and walked quickly to the door. He pulled on the handle, only to find it locked.

"No, we are not," said Severus calmly. "Sit down, Harry." Harry stomped over to the other chair and threw himself into it. He crossed his arms as Severus retook his seat. Severus simply stared at Harry, twirling the boy's wand in his fingers.

"You were going to leave without retrieving your wand?" asked Severus with a raised eyebrow. Harry sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I was," he replied cheekily. "May I have it back now?"

"That depends," said Severus, examining the wand. "Are you going to continue in your childish display of anger or are you actually going to behave as a young man of almost seventeen?"

"No, I'm done," said Harry wearily. "Sorry. I just – I just needed to release some energy." He ran a hand through his black hair. "Those memories are still painful to think about."

"I completely understand that, Harry," said Severus softly. "But your method of dealing with that pain will be very detrimental if you allow it to control you like that in the future."

Harry nodded. Severus held out the boy's wand, handle first. Harry took it from him and placed it back in the holster on his wrist.

"Do not delude yourself in thinking that you are the only person who has lost everything they have to that madman," said Severus. "There are a good number of us who would like nothing more than to assist you in chopping his miserable corpse into a thousand pieces in the most excruciating way." Harry smiled a little. "Anger will lead you down a path that we cannot afford for you to travel down, do you understand me?" At this, Harry nodded. Severus sighed.

"You're dismissed for today. I'll see you at dinner."

* * *

The blackbirds finished the modified seventh year curriculum the same week as Harry's birthday. Severus and Samantha ended the formal lessons, but continued to give specialty lessons-Occlumency and advanced Transfiguration for Harry, Mediwizardry for Ron, and Potions for Hermione. In their free time, the five of them began to look seriously at brewing the potion to destroy the locket.

"It will take five days to brew completely," said Severus one night at dinner. "We have all the ingredients but one."

"Which one?" asked Hermione. Severus glanced at her, then at Samantha.

"One acromantula egg," said Severus. Samantha stared at him in shock.

"But where are we going to get one of those?" said Hermione shrilly. "No Apothecary is going to sell it! They're strictly regulated by the Ministry!"

"And I can't go to Knockturn Alley as Jacob Prince," said Severus. "The gentleman I used to buy illicit ingredients from did so because he knew me from school and knew I was a Death Eater. Our good friend Jacob is not to be known as a Death Eater and I am supposed to be dead. Skilled as I am in deception, I cannot successfully uphold three separate aliases. We do have another option, however."

"And what is that option, Severus?" asked Samantha, narrowing her eyes. "I have a feeling I'm not going to like this."

Severus looked down at his empty plate. "I'm going to have to go to my old office at Hogwarts and steal it out of my old personal stores. Hagrid collected some for me a while back."

"No, absolutely not," said Samantha. "There is no way I'm going to let you go traipsing off to Hogwarts. You won't be able to get inside without causing a scene. McGonagall's certainly not going to just open the front door and let you in."

"That's why we're going to sneak in," said Severus with a smirk. "I happen to know of a passageway that connects my old office to an apparition point. I used it during the school year to get to Death Eater meetings."

"Who's this 'we' you're talking about?" asked Ron through a mouthful of treacle tart. "We're not all going, are we?"

"No," said Severus, sneering at the Ron's inability to swallow before speaking. "That would indeed result in us getting caught. Harry will be accompanying me on this little mission."

"Me?" cried Harry. "Why me?"

"I would like to have my old potions text back," said Severus with a glare. "In addition, we need to see if we can get into McGonagall's office to talk to Albus's portrait. I want to see if he has any more clues as to what the other Horcrux is and where it and Hufflepuff's chalice might be hidden."

"You're serious, aren't you," said Samantha dejectedly. "You've thought about this and have it all planned out."

"Indeed, my dear Samantha," said Severus with a small bow of his head. "It does no good to suggest a ridiculous idea and have no plan."

"You're nutters," breathed Ron. "You have fun getting yourself caught by McGonagall. I can tell you she's a real bear to talk to when she's furious."

Samantha sighed. "So when are you planning to go on this little foray into insanity?"

Severus thought for a moment. "If we start that potion tomorrow, it would be finished by the second of August. The egg isn't added until right before we put the necklace into the potion. Before then, the potion is just cooking for 48 hours. We could go the on the first and be back before the potion finished."

"Oh good," said Harry. "I won't have to worry about being arrested on my birthday. That would really put a damper on my coming of age." He grinned at Severus, excitement shining in his eyes.

Severus smiled. "Indeed it would, Harry. Indeed it would."

* * *

The potion was set up in the make-shift lab on the fourth floor. Severus and Hermione were in charge of brewing, while Ron and Samantha were banned from even stepping into the room. Harry assisted by getting any books they needed or fetching vials of ingredients. On the day of Harry's birthday, Severus and Hermione placed the lid on the potion to let it simmer.

"Excellent," said Severus. He looked at the clock that had been placed on the wall. "After 5pm on August 2nd, we will hopefully be down another Horcrux." He smiled at Harry, who smiled back as he gathered up all the parchment and books off the lab table. There was a knock on the door and Samantha stuck her head in.

"Madeline's back, Severus," she said, glancing at Harry's turned back. He nodded and took the books from Harry's hands, leaving him and Hermione to finish cleaning up the table. Severus followed Samantha to his room, where Madeline was sitting on the desk behind a small brown package. He stacked the books on the corner and shooed her off the desk. He unwrapped the parcel and ran a hand over the long, thin box.

"I still can't believe you're going to give that to him," said Samantha as Severus opened the lid to look at the present he had gotten Harry. He closed the lid and rewrapped the box.

Severus smirked at her as he retrieved the package that she had bought to go with his gift. "It might come in handy one of these days. Stop your fussing. He's old enough to handle it."

"I just hope you know what you're doing," said Samantha. "I'll go down and help Hermione with the food. Ron is supposed to be keeping Harry busy upstairs until dinner."

Severus nodded as he grabbed the card on top of Samantha's gift and a quill. He added a few lines and placed it with the two gifts. Checking to see that Samantha was gone, he pulled a small jewelry box out of his pocket. He opened it and inspected the platinum ring with the solitaire diamond in the center of the band. It had been on his mother's finger every day she was alive. Even when his father yelled and screamed at her for some little thing, she had never taken it off her finger. Severus had found it when they visited his vault and hid it in his pocket when Samantha wasn't looking. Ever since that night during their N.E.W.T.s, he had known that Samantha was the only woman he would ever love. They had been through so much together - her parents being murdered, his taking the Mark, the deaths of many of their friends from school. Yet, they still had so much left to do. He knew they couldn't be married until after Voldemort was destroyed, but he wanted to give her the ring before something happened, as a promise of the life he wanted to have with her after the war was over. Severus sighed as he closed the box and got up to go down to dinner, putting the ring back in his pocket and thinking of how to ask her the question.

Samantha had gotten Harry to tell her all his favorite foods over the course of the past week. She and Hermione had planned what to have for his birthday dinner, while Ron volunteered to keep Harry out of the kitchen until everything was ready. Severus walked down the hall, deep in thought about Samantha, when he abruptly stumbled into a solid body.

"Potter!" hissed Severus as he steadied Harry with a hand on the boy's arm. "What are you doing standing in the middle of the hallway?"

Harry motioned to the black curtains on the wall with his wand in his hand, a book open in the other.

"What do you know about Permanent Sticking Charms, sir?" whispered Harry.

"Other than how they permanently sticking things to walls, you mean?" said Severus softly with a grin. Harry rolled his eyes at him and handed him the book.

"Yes, I got that much from the book," said Harry. "I've wanted this thing off the wall ever since I first came here. It's stupid that we have to tip toe around it. I would just blast the whole damn wall, but the drawing room's behind it."

"Well, then, let's see what we have here," said Severus as he scanned the passage in the open book. He snapped it shut and set it on the floor. He flicked his wrist and his wand shot into his hand.

"I think we're going to have to find a way around this charm," said Severus softly. "No one but the original caster can undo it." He felt underneath the edge of the curtain for the edge of the frame.

"_Muffliato,"_ whispered Harry, pointing his wand at the portrait. At Severus's questioning look, he shrugged. "No sense in waking the old bat up."

"Indeed," said Severus with a smirk. "I always loved that spell." He inspected the edge of the frame where the portrait was attached. He whispered a Severing charm and the canvas separated from the gilded frame. He gave Harry a smug look.

"If you would be so kind as to start on the other side, Harry," said Severus as he ran his wand down the edge of the frame. "We can be rid of this bloody thing before dinner. It's only the frame that's been stuck to the wall."

With a huge grin, Harry started severing the other side. He did the bottom as Severus cut away the top. The canvas fell to the floor and started shrieking even louder than normal.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! I AM A PART OF THE MOST ANCIENT AND NOBLE HOUSE OF BLACK! I WILL NOT BE REMOVED BY FILTHY HALF-BLOODS UNWORTHY OF LICKING MY SHOES! Mffft-"

Severus held the top of the canvas as Harry rolled it up from the bottom, cutting off Regina Black's wailing. The two of them burst out laughing just as Samantha, Ron and Hermione came running out of the kitchen.

"Severus!" whispered Samantha. "What is going on?"

"I AM MAKING AS MUCH NOISE AS I WANT IN THE HALL!" cried Severus over the angry mumblings from the rolled-up portrait. Harry cheered. "Young Mr. Potter and I have successfully removed one Regina Black from the wall."

"Alright!" shouted Ron. "It's about bloody time!"

"Ron! Watch you language!" cried Hermione as she ran to give Harry a hug. Severus sealed the rolled canvas with his wand and walked down the hall, tossing it into a room full of trunks and bags. He came back and put his arms around Samantha and Harry.

"Now, I think it's time for the party to start!" said Severus. Ron and Hermione cheered and ran ahead of the others. The kitchen had been decorated with a huge banner hung over the fireplace. The table was covered in dishes of Harry's favorite foods and, sitting at the end amidst several wrapped packages, was a huge chocolate cake with seventeen sparkling candles.

"I know it's not much, Harry, but we at least had to have a cake," said Samantha. Harry turned around and gave her a huge hug. Samantha was startled at first at the sudden contact, but she wrapped her arms around Harry. He tightened his grip as Samantha put a hand on the back of his head, stroking his black hair. He slowly pulled away from her, and she was surprised to see tears running down his cheeks. She brushed them away with her thumb.

"Harry?" She asked softly. "Child, what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry," whispered Harry, quickly drying his eyes on his sleeve. "It's great. Thank you."

"You are most certainly welcome," said Samantha as Severus stepped around them, grabbing some plates and handing them to Ron and Hermione. "And just so you know, I give hugs at any time free of charge." She smiled at him, brushing one last tear away from his cheek. "Now, I fixed all your favorites, so you had best eat up." Harry smiled at her and turned to grab a plate from Severus.

She looked from Harry to Severus. His eyes were shining at her, filled with so much admiration and love. He walked towards her and lifted a hand up to her cheek. He looked down at his feet and cleared his throat. He took a deep breath and looked back up into her eyes.

"I've wanted to do this for so long, but our circumstances have not allowed it. Yet in all the years since seventh year, there has never been anyone close to stealing my heart the way you have." Samantha's eyes filled with tears as he continued.

"From the very first time I met you, I knew you were unique. I love everything about you. Your perfect smile and the way it lights up your eyes when you laugh. Your ability to love someone who the world says is unloveable. The way you turn me into a lovesick fool with a glance. I never want to be apart from you, Sam."

He bent down on one knee, taking out the box from his pocket. Harry gave Hermione a nudge with his elbow, grinning slyly at her. Severus opened the box and held it up to Samantha. She gasped at the stunning ring and looked back to Severus, tears running down her face.

"Would you grant me the honor of becoming my wife, to stay beside me for the rest of my life, to have my children, to give me hope and laughter in the days to come? Will you marry me, Sam?"

Samantha pulled Severus back up off the floor and threw her arms around him.

"Yes!" cried Samantha. "Yes, yes, a thousand times, yes!" Severus cheered and spun her around. He put her back on her feet and kissed her with everything he had.

"Damn," whispered Harry, patting his pockets. He leaned behind Hermione to look at Ron. "Were you taking notes? There was a lot of quality stuff in there."

"No," said Ron dejectedly, "didn't have any parchment." He glanced at Hermione, who was staring at the kissing couple with a wistful look.

"Oi!" cried Harry with a huge smile on his face. "We still have a birthday to celebrate whenever you two are finished over there."

Severus and Samantha broke apart, grinning like fools. Severus took Samantha's left hand and slipped the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly. Samantha kissed Severus again and grabbed a plate off the table, filling it full of food and setting it in front of Severus, who sat across from Harry.

Dinner was full of excitement for the newly engaged couple. Hermione and Samantha were already talking about robes and flowers. Severus nodded absently at any suggestion Samantha made, a goofy smile on his face. Harry kicked him from underneath the table.

"Hey Romeo, how about we do a little present opening," said Harry with a grin. "I would hate for us to forget to do that."

Severus laughed and motioned with his hand towards the cake.

"Go ahead, Harry," he said. "Sorry for stealing your thunder."

"No problem, Professor," said Harry, grabbing the nearest gift and giving it a shake. "Hermione and I had a bet going to see when you would pop the question. Hermione owes me 5 galleons."

"You little brat," said Samantha as she stood to cut the cake. "How did you know he would even ask?"

"It was pretty obvious," said Hermione, smirking at Severus. "While we were brewing he would put a hand in his pocket and mutter under his breath. Harry caught a glimpse of the box one day and we figured he was going to ask you soon. I said he would ask when he and Harry got back from Hogwarts." She took out a handful of gold and set it on the table in front of Harry.

Severus frowned at her. "I wasn't _that_ obvious," he muttered.

"That one's from me, Harry," said Ron as he took a plate of cake from Samantha. Harry ripped the paper off a huge box full of Chocolate Frogs, Every Flavor Beans and Ice Mice.

"Thanks, Ron," said Harry. "I've really missed eating these."

"Well, if you need any help finishing them off," said Ron, his mouth full of cake. Hermione hit his arm as Harry picked up the next package.

"That one's from me, Harry," said Hermione. Harry unwrapped it and read the cover of the book.

"_Defense and Emotion by Albus Dumbledore," _ read Harry. He looked up and smiled. "Thanks, Hermione." He reached for the last two, pulling the card away from the package. Samantha smiled as she stood behind Severus, her hands on his shoulders. He reached up and put his hand on top of hers as Harry read the note.

"_There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking the root."_

_  
To our young apprentice:_

_Here's to striking the root. Use it well, little blackbird._

_  
Happy birthday, Harry. May you have happiness and joy in the years to come._

_  
_"Open the long one first," said Severus. "The other will make more sense if you do it that way." Harry ripped off the paper and gasped at the silver phoenix on the thin black box. He opened the lid and lifted out the dagger, running a hand over the rubies and emeralds in the hilt.

"It's got quite a few useful charms," said Severus as Harry stared at the blade. "It'll never need sharpening, no matter how much you use it. If you attempt to cut through something that will destroy or melt the blade, a shield will surround it to keep you from doing so. If you throw it at a target, the blade will hit the mark perfectly every single time."

"Wow," breathed Harry. He set the blade reverently back in the box and unwrapped the second parcel, revealing the leather sheath that Samantha had bought.

"That also has a useful charm on it as well," said Samantha. She went around and helped Harry out of his chair. She showed him how to pull on the leather strapping over his shoulders, so that the sheath for the blade hung down below his left arm. "When the blade is in the sheath, only your hand will be able to pull it out. That way no one can stab you by pulling out your own blade or attempt to steal it if you're stunned or unconscious."

"Wow!" said Harry. "Thank you so much." He gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey Potter, keep your lips off my intended, if you please," said Severus in a half-serious tone. Samantha rolled her eyes and sat on Severus's lap. She lifted a plate of cake from the table, taking some cake on the end of her fork and feeding it to Severus. Samantha giggled when he opened his mouth for more, which she provided.

"Ugh, I think I'm gonna be sick," moaned Ron, gaping at Samantha with a disgusted look.

"Jealous are we, Weasley?" said Severus as he took another bite of cake from Samantha. Ron was dragged out of the room making choking noises by an irritated Hermione.

"You should probably go to bed relatively early tonight if you can, Harry," said Samantha. She stood back up and began to clear away all the dishes. "Severus is an early riser, so I imagine you will be off fairly early in the morning."

"Yes," said Severus as he stood to help Samantha. "Be up and ready to leave by 8. I want to have plenty of time just in case we run into any snags."

"Like McGonagall?" said Harry with a grin.

"For example," said Severus with a nod of his head. "That would be a very large snag."

Harry chuckled, offering his hand to Severus. "Congratulations to both of you. I'm sure you'll be really happy together. Your proposal was excellent, sir."

Severus took the boy's hand. "I'm glad you approved, Harry. Thank you. And happy birthday."

"Thank you, sir." Harry gathered up the rest of his gifts. "Goodnight Professor. Goodnight Sam."

"Goodnight Harry," said Samantha. The young man walked out of the kitchen. Samantha held out her hand, gazing once again at the engagement ring. Severus threaded his fingers in with hers, bringing her hand up to his lips and brushing a kiss on her knuckles.

"I love you, Severus," whispered Samantha.

"I love you, too, Sam," whispered Severus. He pressed his lips to hers. He broke away and grabbed her hand. "Shall we retire, my Lady?"

"Indeed, good sir," said Samantha smiling. Severus pulled her out of the room and up the stairs. He opened his door and lifted Samantha off of her feet, carrying her over to the bed. He laid her down gently and waved his hand at the door, shutting it softly. Samantha flicked her wand out and pointed it at the door, casting a silencing charm. Severus smirked at her and dimmed the lights, beginning a night of soft touches and gentle kisses.


	17. Chapter 17

_**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Keep 'em comin'…**_

**Chapter 17- The Return of the Prince**

_Life is eternal and love is immortal; and death is only a horizon, and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight.- Rossiter W. Raymond_

Samantha woke with a start. She felt the bed next to her, but the sheets were cold. She sat up and heard Severus moving around in the closet. He walked back out, carrying a shirt, his trousers unbuttoned.

"Good morning, love," said Severus. "Why are you awake? It's just now 6." He walked over to the bed and sat down next to her, pulling her into his embrace.

Samantha clung to him. "Just nerves, I guess."

"And an overactive imagination, no doubt," said Severus with a smirk. He cradled her face in his hands, kissing her forehead. "Everything's going to be fine. Harry and I will be back in time for lunch."

"You had better," said Samantha as she pulled away. She slid out of the bed, picking up her clothes that lie on the floor and putting them back on. Severus stood up and wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close to him. He leaned down and kissed her softly. Samantha pulled back gently, lifting a hand to his face.

"Come downstairs when you're dressed," said Samantha as she stepped away from him and walked towards the door. "I have something to give you and Harry before you go." She walked into the kitchen and found Harry sitting the table dressed in black, a blank parchment, a silvery cloak and a cup of coffee in front of him. He looked up and smiled at her.

"Morning, Sam," said Harry. He was wearing his blade, the ornate handle shimmering in the light.

"You're up a little early," said Samantha as she walked towards the stove.

"Couldn't sleep," said Harry. "I'm a little nervous about this."

"You and me both, and I'm not even going," said Samantha. She tapped the kettle on the stove, heating the water for her tea. "I've got something for you and Severus."

"Cool, more presents," said Harry as Severus came into the kitchen. He went to pour himself a cup of coffee and sat across from Harry.

"I'll be back shortly," said Samantha. She left and returned with two silver bracelets. They had thin engravings of a snake and a phoenix running around the circumference. She held them up.

"These are two-way bracelets," said Samantha. "Not as cumbersome as mirrors, but they serve the same purpose. They are name-activated, but only with the names that you charm them to recognize. Since both of you have rather unique and famous first names, I would suggest using code names. Severus could probably use Gabriel for his." She turned to Harry. "Harry, what's your middle name?"

"I don't think my middle name's going to work," said Harry rapidly, avoiding Severus's gaze.

"What is it, Harry?" asked Samantha. "We can't decide if it's going to work if we don't know what it is."

Harry sighed. "It's James," he said. Samantha looked quickly at Severus. He rubbed his face tiredly and sighed.

"It's better than me saying Harry," said Severus. "Although not by much. I will just have to get over any negative associations I have with it. We'll use it."

Samantha nodded and flicked her wrist for her wand. She cast the charm over the bracelets. They glowed green for a few seconds and then the light faded. She handed one to each of them.

"Done," said Samantha. "Just say the other's name and it'll warm up slightly. The recipient says the sender's name to open the communication."

"Excellent," said Severus. He turned to Harry. "You've got your Invisibility Cloak, correct?"

"And my – my map," said Harry hesitatingly. Severus raised an eyebrow at him.

"And what 'map' would this be?" asked Severus. Harry looked away from him.

"The map that my dad and his friends made when they were in school," said Harry. "It shows every person in the castle and where they are. But it only works if you know the password."

"Hm," hummed Severus skeptically. "Well, we will pick up the egg and my book first, and then see if we can guess the password to McGonagall's office."

"Password," whispered Harry. "I wonder…"

"Wonder what?" asked Severus as Samantha put a plate of toast on the table. Severus thanked her and buttered a slice.

"There's a secret passage way to Hogsmeade that's password protected," said Harry as he grabbed a piece of toast. "The password showed up on the map when I stood in front of the one-eyed -" Harry looked up sharply at Severus. "Er -- I mean, the entrance to the passage."

"Indeed" mused Severus, eyeing Harry carefully. "This passageway wouldn't be how you snuck into Hogsmeade during your third year when everyone and their kneazle was trying to keep you out of the clutches of the insane murderer Sirius Black, and then lied about being there to a certain Potions professor, would it?"

Harry cringed. "Uh, sorry?"

Samantha hit Severus on the arm. He frowned at her, rubbing his arm. After he and Harry finished eating, he stood up and looked at his watch.

"Well, since we're both up and ready, let's go." Severus checked his own sheath for his blade, the black leather blending into his black clothing. He kissed Samantha on the cheek.

"I love you, Samantha," said Severus.

"I love you too," answered Samantha. "Both of you be careful please. Don't do anything stupid."

"Who, us?" said Harry cheekily. "We laugh in the face of danger."

Severus rolled his eyes and gave Harry a push towards the door.

"Gryffindors," said Samantha and Severus simultaneously. Severus winked at her and the two men went out the front door on their way to Grimmauld Square.

Severus and Harry walked quickly to the park. The morning air was chilly, a thin mist covering the ground. As they reached the trees, Severus turned to Harry.

"I'll have to apparate us both," he said quietly. "The point is impossible to find if you don't already know where it is. Once we arrive, hit yourself with a Disillusionment charm. Did Sam teach you her modification?" Harry nodded. "Good. We'll check the map and then make for the castle. Stay close behind me and try not to make too much noise. Grab my arm."

Harry clutched his left arm and Severus turned. After a second of squeezing, they reappeared on the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

"Charms, now," said Severus. He tapped his head with his wand, feeling the freezing cold ooze down his neck. He turned beside him and saw the faint blue outline of a boyish, thin person. Severus heard Harry reaching into his bag and a sharp tap.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," muttered Harry. Severus watched as the map filled with lines.

"What an appropriately arrogant password," whispered Severus. He looked at all of the main classrooms and hallways, looking for any moving dots.

"McGonagall's not here," whispered Harry.

"Doesn't look as if anyone is," agreed Severus. "Keep it out and check it every now and then. Let's go." They walked quietly towards a solid wall. Severus put his hand against the stone and muttered a password. The hidden door slid open silently, revealing a dark passageway. Severus walked quickly inside, looking over his shoulder for Harry and to make sure the door closed again. Once it did, Severus lit his wand and held it in front of him to see the ground. They reached a heavy wooden door and Severus spoke in barely above a whisper.

"Check the map again, Harry," he said. "Check the potions classroom in the dungeons and my old office."

"Nobody's showing up anywhere near there," whispered Harry. Severus whispered another password and pushed on the door, slipping inside his office. He watched a blue form follow him into the room and shut the door, the outline of the door blending in perfectly with the stones in the wall. Severus went over to the small cabinet behind the desk and opened the doors. The jar of acromantula eggs was sitting in the back of the cabinet behind his stash of rare and expensive ingredients. Severus hesitated for a moment before casting unbreakable charms on all the vials in the cabinet and placing them in the case he had brought with him.

"I thought we only needed the eggs," whispered Harry.

"I hate wasting good ingredients," muttered Severus. "I'm not about to just let them sit here for who knows how long before the school reopens. Our good friend Jacob will buy more and donate them to the school." He put the last vial into case and closed it, shrinking it as he placed it in his pocket. "Let's move, Harry. Seventh floor. Watch your map."

They carefully made their way up to the seventh floor corridor near the entrance to Gryffindor tower. Severus followed Harry to the tapestry of ballet-dancing trolls.

"Let me have the map while you go and fetch my book," said Severus. Harry handed him the parchment and began pacing in front of the door. On the third pass, the door appeared. Harry opened it and went inside. Severus looked up and down the hallway, then back down at the map, studying it closely. It really was a piece of work. He could see a dot labeled 'Peeves' in the Great Hall, bouncing around, while the other ghosts were down near the kitchens. The door to the Room of Requirement opened and shut quickly, disappearing back into the wall. Harry handed the potions text to Severus, taking back the map. Severus flipped through the book and shrank it, putting it in his pocket with the potion ingredients.

"Now, my young blackbird, it's time to see what this map of yours can do," whispered Severus. The two walked down the hall and stood in front of the familiar gargoyle. Harry looked down at the map.

"It worked!" he whispered excitedly. He cleared his throat and spoke in a clear tone. "Sugar Quills!"

"Good to see we're being original in our theme of passwords," muttered Severus as he followed Harry up the winding staircase. Severus tried the handle of the door and surprisingly, it turned underneath his hand. Severus pushed open the door and saw the familiar office furnished exactly as it had been for as long as he could remember. The table was still covered in silver instruments, softly humming or whizzing.

"It almost like he's still here, isn't it?" whispered Harry.

"Indeed," answered Severus. "Everything's still the same."

"Halt!" cried a voice. "Who goes there?"

"Yes, who are you and how did you get in here?" asked another.

"I'll go and warn the Minister," said one.

"Wait!" cried Harry as he cancelled his charm. "Don't go to the Ministry!"

"Harry!" cried the portrait over the desk. Albus Dumbledore's figure stood up from the painted chair. "What are you doing here?"

"We came to talk to you, actually," said Harry. "We need all the information you have about the other Horcruxes."

"And who is your companion, Harry?" said the portrait, a familiar twinkling in his eyes. "It cannot be Miss Granger or Mr. Weasley, as none of the three of you could have snuck into Hogwarts. Honeydukes has been closed and locked up since the beginning of June. Perhaps another trusted friend?"

"Yes, sir," said Harry. "I trust him completely."

"Most wonderful, Harry," said Albus. "Severus, you can take that charm off now."

Severus sighed and removed the charm, gazing at the portrait. There was the sound of a clearing throat behind them.

"I told you all they would be coming today," drawled Phineas. "But did you believe me? No. And look, here they are, just like I said."

"Thank you, Phineas," said Albus, staring hard at the other portrait. He turned back to Harry and Severus, giving them both a smile. "You both look to be doing well," said Albus quietly. "I'm glad the two of you have finally sorted things out."

"Well, the credit should go to my lovely fiancée," said Severus with a sad smile. "I should have proposed sooner. You could have performed the wedding for us."

"I would have loved that," sighed Albus. "Congratulations Severus. Tell Samantha I said hello and that I wish you both the best. Now, what has brought you and Mr. Potter to the point where you are breaking into the most protected and warded building in England and not strangling each other?"

"Well, Albus," said Severus, "it's rather a long story involving Samantha and, as Harry says, throwing my dirty clothes at Voldemort."

"Indeed?" said the portrait with a chuckle. "Start at the beginning. No one's scheduled to be here until the school reopens, I think. I daresay young Harry can keep a sharp eye out just in case." Harry grinned as he sat in one of the chairs with the map on his lap, while Severus took the other chair. Severus explained how he had met Samantha at the funeral and continued to spy for the Order, learning of the attack planned for the wedding. He explained all about the attack itself and his betrayal. He ended by telling Albus about moving to the 12 and about The Snape Institute for Accelerated Learning. After two hours, Severus leaned back in his chair, a smug look on his face.

"Well," said Albus, "I must say I'm very impressed. You did very well in dealing with Voldemort on the day of the attack. I'm glad you and Samantha were not harmed in removing your things from Spinner's End."

"Thank you, Albus," said Severus. "Now, about the locket that you and Harry retrieved from the cave. It turned out to be a fake."

"It was what?" cried Albus. "How could it have been? It was underneath that awful potion!"

"The locket was similar, but not Slytherin's locket," said Harry. "Inside was a note to Voldemort, saying that the real locket had been stolen and that the thief was going to destroy it. It was signed with the initials R.A.B. It wasn't until Professor Snape and Sam looked at the note that we figured out who stole it."

"And who was it, Severus?" asked Albus eagerly.

"Regulus Black," said Severus softly. "We found the real Horcrux at the 12, up in the attic with the rest of the Dark Arts stuff from the drawing room."

"My word," breathed Albus. "So you've got the real locket at Headquarters?"

"Yes, sir," answered Harry. "Professor Snape and Hermione brewed a potion that will destroy it. That's why we had to come here. We needed an acromantula egg."

"I thought I told you to get rid of those, Severus," said Albus, looking sternly over his glasses. Severus cleared his throat and looked down, a faint pink tinge coloring his pale cheeks.

"Well, we need them now," said Harry quickly. Severus gave him a thankful look. "We have to get back and make sure everything's ready."

"What can you tell us about the chalice?" asked Severus.

"I had no definitely leads," said the portrait. "All the information that I could find led me to Borgin and Burkes. I have no idea if Tom did indeed hide the cup there or if he has hidden it someplace else."

Severus nodded. "What about the other object - the relic from Ravenclaw or Gryffindor?"

"I'm afraid I don't have much information for you there," said Albus. "The only thing I found was that it is a relic belonging to Ravenclaw. Beyond that, I'm afraid I have no other information."

"Well, thank you anyway, Professor," said Harry. "We'll see what we can find."

"Yes, thank you Albus," said Severus. He tapped Harry hard on his head as he stood, recasting a Disillusionment charm on him. "Any activity on your map, Harry?"

"It's all clear on the seventh floor," said Harry as he flipped the map over. "Uh oh."

"What?" asked Severus as he rose from the chair and tapped his own head with his wand.

"Uh, we've got company in the form of a huge snag making her way towards the entrance hall," said Harry.

"Damn," said Severus. He looked around to make sure nothing was out of place. "Albus, it was nice chatting with you. Hope we can do it again soon. Say hello to the Headmistress for us. Harry, let's move."

"Be careful, Severus, Harry," said the portrait as Severus and Harry leapt down the staircase. Severus flicked his wand at Harry's shoes then his own.

"Run to the potions classroom," muttered Severus. "Get there using any means necessary without McGonagall seeing you and meet me by the secret door in my office. Go!"

They took off and split up, Severus taking a little used stairway past the portrait of the Fat Lady while Harry took off in the opposite direction. Severus jumped down the last few stairs, his landing silenced by his Cushioning Charms. He ran through a tapestry and stopped right where he was. McGonagall had just rounded the corner and was walking directly towards him. He took off at a dead sprint in the other direction, ripping through another tapestry to take him back up to the fifth floor. He lifted his wrist to his mouth.

"James!" he whispered as he leaned against the wall to catch his breath. The bracelet glowed warm.

"What's going on? Where are you?" whispered Harry. "I'm already on the first floor."

"Well, I almost ran into the big snag down the fourth floor corridor," hissed Severus. "Use that bloody map of yours to get me out of here!"

"Alright, keep your shirt on," said Harry. Severus growled slightly, watching the staircase for any sign of McGonagall.

"There's a hidden passage way about halfway down the corridor from where you are," said Harry. "Right between some statues from what I can tell. It'll put you out close to the Defense classroom on the third floor."

"Thanks," said Severus as he took off down the hall. "See you in a few, James."

Severus found the passageway after some frantic searching between three different sets of statues. Finally finding the sliding door, he ran down the passageway and ended up exactly where Harry said. He raced down the last flight of stairs and into the dungeons. He burst through the door of his old office, gasping for breath. He slammed the door, and slid down to the floor, his Disillusionment charm fading out.

"It's about damn time," said Harry as Severus slowly came back into view. He cancelled his own charm, and stared at Severus with his arms crossed.

"My apologies," gasped Severus. He ran a hand through his hair, pulling it back from his flush face. Harry checked the map again.

"McGonagall just got to her office," he said. Harry looked at Severus still breathing heavily. After a few minutes, Harry snickered. "We can go whenever you're done catching your breath, old man."

Severus glared at him. "You wait until you're my age, Potter, then we'll see if you find it so amusing then." He slowly got up and walked over to the wall that disguised the secret door. Muttering the password, he walked through the dark hallway. Harry lit his wand as the door shut behind them and looked at the map.

"Gabriel, McGonagall's moving fast on the first floor," said Harry. "She's headed toward the front doors."

"Damn Albus and his big mouth," growled Severus. "Recast your Disillusionment charm and follow me close." Severus tapped his head and ran, feeling the chill of the charm once again creep down his back.

"She's out the front doors," said Harry, racing to keep up with Severus's longer legs.

Severus slid to a stop right at the end of the passageway. He shouted the password and ran to the apparition point, Harry hot on his heels. He looked toward the front of the castle and saw McGonagall fast approaching them.

"James, you still with me?" asked Severus as he stopped in a clearing right inside the edge of the forest.

"I'm right here," said Harry, grabbing Severus's sleeve.

"Apparate to the Square and cancel your charm," said Severus as McGonagall ran right up to where the forest started.

"SNAPE! POTTER! GET OUT HERE NOW!" screamed McGonagall.

"Now James! GO!" said Severus. He heard a loud crack and Severus apparated just as McGonagall reached the edge of the clearing.

Back in the Square, Severus cancelled his charm. He spun around and saw Harry leaning against a tree, running a hand through his hair.

"A little close, don't you think?" he said as he walked with Severus towards the 12. "I thought Dumbledore would at least let us leave the grounds before he told her we were there."

"Yes, well, Albus never did know when to keep his mouth shut," said Severus. They arrived at the 12 and Severus pushed the door open. Once they were inside, Severus closed and locked the door. He cast two other locking charms. At Harry's raised eyebrows, Severus shrugged a shoulder.

"Wouldn't want any unwanted visitors to just come waltzing through the door," he said. He walked past Harry and into the kitchen, where Samantha, Ron and Hermione were eating lunch.

"So, how'd it go?" asked Samantha. Severus and Harry looked at one another.

"Well, McGonagall may be paying us a visit," said Harry, smiling. "And it won't be a nice visit either."

"Oh?" said Samantha, chuckling. Severus smirked as he sat next to her, reaching out for an apple from the bowl on the table.

"We did manage to get a little information about our other Horcruxes," said Severus. "The unknown Horcrux belongs to Ravenclaw. We'll have to do research to find out exactly what it is. But the other he believes might be at Borgin and Burkes."

"Why there?" asked Samantha, frowning. "That seems like a very random place for something like that."

"Tom Riddle worked there after he finished school," said Harry. "In one of the memories I saw, he visited a lady who had both the locket and the cup while he still worked there. He murdered her to get the items from her."

"So how are we going to get the cup?" asked Ron. "We've already got the potion brewing for the locket. We're cutting it pretty close if we want to destroy them both at the same time."

"We could put a stasis charm on the potion," said Severus. He sat back in his chair, taking a bite out of his apple and chewing thoughtfully. "I don't like the idea of brewing this potion more than once. It uses too many rare ingredients that I can't get more of at the moment. However, the stasis charm would only be good for three days at the most. We would have to locate the cup and bring it back here before Friday afternoon."

"Merlin," said Samantha. She ran her hand over her face. "Breaking and entering in the Alley is one thing. It's an entirely different matter in Knockturn Alley. I would tell you to go at night, but that's the busiest time of business for Borgin's."

"Indeed," said Severus. "We would have to wait until at least 2 a.m. before going if we went at night. And even then, we would have to exercise extreme caution due to Borgin's wards and alarms." He stood up from the table and began to pace the room, still munching on his apple. After a few minutes, he tossed the core into the wastebasket and turned to Harry.

"Come with me, Harry," he said. Harry gave him a questioning look, but followed him out of the room and upstairs. Severus walked into his room, waving Harry to the extra chair that still sat near the desk. He shut the door and began perusing his bookshelves, pulling two off the shelf. He sat in his chair and began flipping through them, marking different pages to come back to.

"This is going to take a little planning and careful strategy," said Severus. "I need you to learn a few detection spells before we go after this cup." Harry nodded as Severus handed him one of the books. "Read over the marked pages carefully. Then we can practice a bit so that you are accustomed to performing the spell alone." He stood and walked over to the closet.

Harry looked up at him in alarm. "Alone?" Severus raised an eyebrow at him over his shoulder as he lifted a small trunk off the floor. "Aren't you coming with me?"

"Of course," said Severus haughtily, setting the trunk down and getting another from the closet. "However, you should be taught these spells in case something unforeseen happens in the retrieval of the chalice." He eyed Harry carefully as the boy lowered his head, absently rubbing the cover of the book with his hand. Severus sighed as he set the second trunk next to the first.

"Harry, I'm only doing this so that we are as prepared as we can be," said Severus. "I'm not planning on being captured or dying anytime soon. But since we cannot foresee every detail and nuance of our situation, we should prepare for the unlikely just as much as we do the likely."

"I know that," said Harry. "It's just – you were just so – so unconcerned, is all."

"And you're telling me that Albus wasn't so ambivalent about his own passing?" asked Severus skeptically. "I lost count of how many times the man said something to the effects of death being some grand adventure. Albus almost always made provisions just in case the worst happened, which it did in many cases. I am simply doing the same so as to not leave you completely lost if something happens to me. Samantha is not as versed in the Arts as I am." Harry nodded hesitantly at him. Severus pointed his finger at the book in Harry's hands. "Now, read. We're short on time as it is. I would like to go tonight."

They spent the afternoon working on detection spells and magical traces. Severus was pleasantly surprised that Harry seemed to have a natural ability for sensing the traces. Harry also picked up the spells and charms with relative ease, considering the difficulty level of some of them. At 6:30, they heard a soft knock on the door. Samantha opened it, sticking her head into the room.

"Dinner's ready if you're hungry," she said. "Ron turned out to have inherited his mother's wonderful cooking skills and made a decent spread of food."

"Good," said Harry. "I'm starving." Severus smiled at him as he cancelled the spells on the trunks.

"Go and eat, then," said Severus, waving him out with a graceful hand. "But try and get some sleep afterwards. Be up and ready by 2 or I will leave without you." Harry nodded and left the room quickly. Severus walked over to Samantha, wrapping his arms around her and giving her a brief kiss. He pulled her closer to him, inhaling the light smell of her vanilla perfume.

"You'll be careful tonight, right?" she asked softly. Severus pulled away just far enough to see her face. He took her face in his hands, placing a kiss on her forehead.

"I will be as careful as I can be," said Severus. "I fully intend for us to be back by dawn." She gave him a small smile.

"If you aren't back before breakfast, I will be mad as hell, Severus," said Sam lightly. Severus gazed at her, noting the slight fear in her eyes that belied her tone. He kissed her again, softly at first. He deepened the kiss and Samantha let him. He pulled her into the room, closing the door and locking it behind her.

**_A/N2: Harry's quip comes directly from The Lion King. I thought it appropriate for our young Gryffindor…_**


	18. Chapter 18

**_A/N: Thanks for all the encouraging reviews! I love you guys! There was a little concern about our beloved Headmistress's anger at our boys when they broke into Hogwarts. Well...if you were a typical Gryffindor woman, wouldn't you be angry if someone broke into your office, nevermind it being done by a Slytherin and a troublemaking kid from your own house? And don't forget...she has no clue as to why the boys were there. Albus may have a big mouth, but he does know how to keep a secret..._**

**Chapter 18- Reliance**

_The language of friendship is not words but meanings.- Henry David Thoreau_

At 1:30, Severus walked into the kitchen to find Harry sitting at the table with a cup of coffee. Samantha was leaning against the stove, her arms crossed over her chest. He walked over and poured himself a cup of black coffee.

"The stasis charm is set," he said. He took a sip of his drink. "If we don't find the cup tonight, we have until Friday to do so." He gazed at Harry, who was trying to stifle a yawn. "Did you get some sleep, Harry?"

"A little," said Harry. "I don't sleep well when I'm nervous about something." He twirled his cup nervously on the table.

"It's amazing that you were coherent at all during some school years," said Severus, grinning. Harry smiled back at him briefly. Severus sobered at Harry's anxiousness, looking over the rim of his cup at Samantha. The three of them sat in silence. Harry stood and placed his empty cup in the sink. He touched his hand to his side, feeling for his dagger in its sheath as he turned to lean back on the edge of the counter. He crossed his arms over his chest, frowning slightly at the floor. Samantha walked over softly to him.

"Don't be so worried, James," she said softly. She tilted his chin up gently with her hand. "Severus will be with you the whole time." Harry chuckled.

"A few months ago, that would have worried me more," said Harry. He looked over to Severus, who grinned at him.

"I thought the same thing when she said that," said Severus. "How times have changed." He drank the last of his coffee, walking over and placing his cup next to Harry's in the sink. "But Sam's right. Just stick close to me and do exactly what I tell you, and everything should work out perfectly." He looked at his watch. "We should go soon."

Samantha pulled Harry into an embrace. "Be careful, both of you. Watch out for one another." She brushed the boy's cheek with her hand. She reached up and gave Severus a brief kiss. "I'll see you when you get back."

"I love you," said Severus softly. Samantha gave him a huge smile.

"I love you, too, Severus," she said. She walked with them to the hall and watched them walk out the front door, closing it behind them.

The August night was humid and warm, the mugginess making it uncomfortably hot. Severus and Harry walked quickly and quietly to the park, entering the familiar grove of trees. Severus tapped Harry on the head with his wand, casting a Disillusionment charm on him. Severus did the same to himself before addressing Harry.

"Stay close to me at all times," said Severus in a low tone. "If you do get separated, call me on your bracelet. Recast the disillusionment every so often so that it doesn't fade out. If things get unpleasant, get back here as soon as you can. Do you understand me?"

"What about you?" said Harry.

"Don't worry about me," said Severus. "Do exactly what I tell you, when I tell you. Leave your Gryffindor heroics here. They will get you and me both into more trouble than I care to deal with this evening. Grab my arm and we'll go." Harry sighed loudly, grabbing Severus's forearm. They disappeared from the park with a soft pop, reappearing in a pitch black alleyway. The rats skittered away from them as Severus crept silently to the edge of the building, glancing around the corner and looking left and right. He saw a few stragglers, but no one he recognized.

"Remember what I said," he whispered to Harry. "We're going to the back delivery door. Follow close and be absolutely silent." Severus stepped out into the main street of Knockturn Alley, carefully avoiding the small pools of light provided by a few shop lanterns that were still lit. He ducked down another dark alleyway, Harry right on his heels. He stopped before a filthy door. It was missing a pane of glass, the shards glinting in the faint moonlight. Severus drew his wand, whispering a detection spell at the doorknob. It glowed blue, then flashed red three times. Severus sighed softly.

"This is going to take a minute," whispered Severus. "Keep a lookout while I work on these wards." Harry drew his wand, watching both directions of the alley while Severus began gently breaking the wards on the door. Severus had to try several spells before finding one that weakened the wards. It took him ten minutes to completely disarm the door. He cast the detection spell again at the doorknob. Nothing happened. He tapped Harry on the shoulder, making the boy jump slightly.

"We're in," whispered Severus. He cast Silencing charms on the door hinges and pushed the door open. He held it as Harry slipped inside and locked the door with a tap of his wand. He muttered a spell, lighting his wand with a dark light that gave off very little light, but it was enough to see shapes of the many objects in the shop.

"Start feeling for traces," said Severus. "You'll probably feel many, but try and follow the strongest one you can find." Harry stepped away from him, as Severus took a deep breath. He reached out his hand, his fingers tingling slightly from the various Dark traces he could feel from various items. He moved his hand over towards the other wall, which was strangely empty of any shelving. He frowned at the slight pulsing he felt in his hand as he moved closer. He pressed his hand to the wall. A sharp sting entered his fingers. He turned to look over his shoulder to where Harry was standing.

"I found something," he whispered. Harry quickly made his way next to Severus. Severus pressed his hand back to the wall, running it lightly over the wood paneling. Harry did the same, bending down in front of Severus.

"It's so strong," whispered Harry. He stopped his hand suddenly. "There's a weird spot here." Severus stepped back and knelt down next to him as Harry pressed his hand to the wall firmly. He gave a startled cry as a trapdoor opened beneath him. Severus grabbed his arm to keep him from falling. Harry reached up his other arm, clinging tightly to Severus.

"Well," panted Severus. "That's one way of finding it. Next time, we'll have to work on your desire to push strange walls that are suspicious, hm?" He pulled Harry up out of the hole. Harry was breathing rapidly and shaking slightly. Severus quickly cancelled the disillusionment, raising his lit wand to gaze worriedly at Harry's ashen face. He tapped his own head so that Harry could see him.

"Are you alright?" asked Severus. Harry swallowed thickly and nodded.

"Yeah," said Harry breathily. "Yeah, I'm okay." Severus nodded once. He shone his wand down into the hole, laying on his stomach to reach farther into the underground room. Harry knelt down next to him and gasped slightly at the sight of what lie on the floor.

"Indeed," said Severus softly. "They look to be some kind of strange hybrid of asps and boomslangs. Nice and poisonous." He moved his wand, lighting on a ladder that descended into the pit.

"How in the world are we supposed to get past all of them?" asked Harry. Severus sighed in annoyance.

"You're the Parseltongue," hissed Severus. "You tell me." He looked around them as Harry got on his stomach and began speaking to the snakes. He paused for a minute, then responded. Severus looked back at him when he sighed.

"They're not going to let us through," said Harry softly. "They said they were given very specific instructions from their _master_ not to let anyone through, not even one of his followers. They seemed a little confused that I could talk to them, though. Apparently, Borgin keeps them fed with something. They asked me if I was going to feed them."

"Hm," said Severus as he lowered his wand back down the trapdoor. He gave it a small flick, making the light stronger. The snakes writhed angrily.

"They didn't like that much," said Harry. Severus stepped down onto the ladder, holding his wand so that he could see below him.

"We'll have to use their loathing of light to get through, then" said Severus softly. "Shine your wand at them so I can get down. Come down once I'm at the bottom." Harry did as he was told, shining his wand at the bottom of the ladder. Severus climbed down quickly, jumping down and lighting his wand brightly. Harry climbed down, standing behind Severus and lighting his own wand.

"Now what?" asked Harry shakily. He jumped backwards into Severus as a snake struck out at him. Severus wrapped an arm around him to keep him from falling.

"That, Harry, is an excellent question," said Severus. "Let me think for a moment." He increased the light from his wand, gazing into the vast expanse of the room. The light glinted off something in the center of the room. Severus took a step closer, pulling Harry with him. The light glinted again, allowing Severus to see a brief flash of gold upon a raised dais. Severus heard a slight moan from Harry and whipped his head around.

"I'm such an idiot," said Harry. He began conjuring small balls of fire setting them close together on the floor. "Give me a minute and I'll make us a path." Severus swung his wand towards another snake that was creeping closer as Harry rapidly lined a narrow path around the ladder and began to move in front of Severus.

"Good thinking, Harry," said Severus, relieved. "It's nice to see that head of yours does indeed have an intelligent thought every now and then."

"Yeah, yeah," said Harry as he conjured fire on the steps of the dais. "Let's just get this thing and get out of here. Then you can heckle me all you want." Severus stepped lightly up the steps, directing his lit wand towards the chalice. He cast a detection charm on it, but it revealed nothing. He reached out hesitantly, raising his Occulmency walls as he lifted the cup from its resting place. He paused, listening carefully for any sign of a trap being tripped. He suddenly felt a wave of dizziness hit him hard. He shook his head to clear it. Harry groaned and stumbled slightly, raising a hand to his head. Severus reached out to catch him before he fell into a pile of snakes.

"Use your Occlumency, Harry," said Severus as he pulled Harry back down the path. "One foot in front of the other. Come on." Severus led Harry to the ladder, where he put the cup into Harry's hand. "Wait for me at the top. I've got to get rid of the fireballs so that Borgin won't know we were here. Go, quickly now." Harry climbed the ladder as quick as he could. Severus watched him until he was at the top before he ran back to the dais, vanishing the fire rapidly. He could feel the dizziness increase as he made his way back to the ladder. He stumbled against the ladder as he vanished the last fireball. He reached up for a rung and felt a blinding pain shoot through his leg. He looked down, only to see the snake be staked to the floor by a silver dagger. He looked up into Harry's frightened face. Harry reached down, holding out his hand for Severus.

"Come on," said Harry. Severus ground his teeth together as he put his weight his injured leg. He could already feel the venom making its way up his leg. He grabbed Harry's hand, letting Harry help him up. Severus sat on the floor of the shop, panting slightly. Harry reached his hand back down into the hidden room, summoning his blade back to him. He quickly closed the door as Severus tried to push himself back up. Harry pulled him up, putting an arm around Severus's waist and pulling an arm around his shoulders.

"I have to reset the wards," said Severus weakly. "Disillusion us and get outside. We need to get back to the 12 before I pass out." Harry moved them both quickly, recasting the charm as Severus pulled the door open. He shut the door and stood away from Harry, resetting the wards as best he could. Borgin was not so meticulous about his wards as Severus was about his own. He would never know the difference.

"Harry," whispered Severus as he fell forward onto his hands. Harry knelt down beside him, pulling him back up with surprising strength. Severus shook his head to clear the blackness that was clouding his vision. "Apparate directly in front of the house. No one will be up to notice us and I won't be able to walk from the park. In my bedside table, there's a vial of antidote. It's bright green in color. I'll need the whole vial. Get Sam to help you." Harry turned, disapparating them both. He practically dragged Severus up the front steps, pushing the door open so hard that it slammed against the wall. Samantha came running out of the kitchen.

"What happened?" she cried as she ran forward to help Harry. Severus has passed out, a heavy sheen of sweat on his forehead.

"He was bitten by a snake," said Harry as he removed Severus's limp arm from around his shoulders. "Get him to the bedroom. He said there's a potion in his room." Samantha flicked her wand at Severus, lifting his body off the floor as Harry ran up the stairs. Samantha followed him as fast as she could, her heart beating fast at the paleness of Severus's face. She laid him on the bed as Harry rifled through the many vials that Severus had stored in the table, lifting each one to the light. He handed one to Samantha.

"It's that one," said Harry. Samantha tilted Severus's head back, pouring the potion into his mouth. She rubbed his throat with her fingers, helping Severus swallow the antidote. She took off his shoes, tossing them to the end of the bed. She groaned as she cut his trouser leg.

"He's going to kill me for that," said Samantha as she inspected the bite mark. The two holes were purple and swollen. Harry stood silently next to Samantha, watching Severus's chest rise and fall with his breathing.

"Is he going to be ok?" asked Harry worriedly. Samantha cast a healing charm on the wound, watching as the bruising faded away.

"Yes, he'll be fine," said Samantha. "We got him the antidote in time. His leg will probably be sore. Not that he'll say anything about it." She brushed Severus's damp hair away from his flushed face, feeling his cheek with the back of her hand. Severus's eyes flickered open. He looked around, spotting Harry over Samantha's shoulder. He gave him a small smile.

"Well done," said Severus weakly. He groaned, cradling his left arm to his chest. Harry gasped and ran from the room. Samantha rubbed Severus's other arm as Harry returned.

"Sorry," said Harry. "I kinda forgot I had the cup with me." Severus chuckled a little.

"Amazing that you could forget something like that," said Severus softly. He coughed a little. Samantha immediately conjured a goblet of water, helping Severus sit up and take a few sips. He took the goblet from her, setting it on the table.

"So I take it you did get the cup?" asked Samantha. Severus smiled at her.

"We did," he said. "Thanks to Harry, we got through a room full of angry, venomous snakes and returned relatively unscathed. I doubt Borgin will notice that the cup is gone."

"Well, that's good news," said Samantha as she turned to Harry. Harry ran a hand through his hair, exhaling loudly.

"You scared me for a while there," said Harry. "I didn't think we were going to make it." Severus waved a hand at him.

"I've experienced far more deadly and painful poisons in my time, Harry," said Severus. "A little snake venom is nothing." Harry smiled, shaking his head.

"Well, I'm going back to bed," said Harry. "I'm a little worn out. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Harry," said Samantha softly. Harry walked out of the room, closing the door softly behind him. Severus stared at the door as Samantha turned back to look at him.

"He was practically frantic when he got here," said Samantha gently as she helped Severus take off his dagger sheath. "He stood right behind me holding his breath as I gave you the antidote." Severus frowned a little at her.

"He is too dependent on me," said Severus. "If something bad happens, he will useless to any of us."

"It's only natural for him to be this way, Severus," said Samantha as she sat on the bed next to him. "The boy has lost every single adult figure who has ever shown him a hint of kindness and guidance. He's been thrown into a situation he has no idea how to handle, and is grasping at anything that will keep him sane. If that thing is you, you have to let him rely on you."

Severus shook his head. "I don't know if I can do that, Sam. This Horcrux hunting is stressful enough without adding unnecessary mollycoddling on top of that."

"Severus, you don't have to mollycoddle him," said Samantha with a smirk. "You simply have to enable him to find his own strength. You've already been doing that. You can't keep him from becoming attached to you. You spend too much time together for that to happen, even if you were a complete bastard to him from now on."

"I don't know about that, Sam," said Severus, grinning. "I did a pretty good job at making him hate me for the past six years. I imagine I could get him to return to that place rather quickly." Samantha smirked at him.

"But I know you, Severus," she said teasingly. "You wouldn't do that to him. I think you're becoming just as attached to him as he is to you." Severus scoffed at her.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, my dear Samantha," said Severus, avoiding her gaze. She grinned at him, pulling back the covers on the bed.

"Whatever you say, Severus," said Samantha. "You can delude yourself all you want, but I know better." She waved her wand, turning off the lights as she got underneath the covers. Severus stood up slowly, testing his injured leg. There was just a dull ache, as if he had run for a long time without stretching first. He removed his shirt and his belt, throwing both on the floor. He lay back down, pulling Samantha into his arms. He ran a hand through her curly hair, thinking back over the night's events and pondering Samantha's words. It was a long time before he fell into a dreamless sleep.


	19. Chapter 19

_**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Hmm...Severus in a fedora...I like! **_

**Chapter 19- The Destruction Party**

_Banish air from air,_/ _Divide light if you dare.- Emily Dickenson_

The stasis charm on the potion was cancelled the next morning, allowing the mixture to finish brewing properly. Harry wowed Ron and Hermione with a retelling of the daring break-in at Borgin and Burkes during breakfast, with Severus smirking over the rim of his cup at Samantha.

The rest of the day was spent in the drawing room while they waited on the potion. The apprehension and excitement of destroying two Horcruxes at once was palpable, so they all sat around trying to distract each other from the wait.

"Checkmate," said Ron as he gave Harry a smug look. "Again. How many times is that today, Potter?"

"One time too many," said Harry, frowning at his quarrelling pieces. "I'm done. I've had enough defeat for one day."

"I should say so, Harry," said Samantha with a grin. "That's seven games in a row that you've lost to chess master Weasley."

Harry glared at her and spoke in a deadpan tone. "Yes. Thank you Samantha. I wasn't quite sure of the count. Good to have you around to remind me." Ron laughed at his sour face.

"Better be careful, Sam," said Severus with a smirk. "Weasley's head will be too large to fit through the doorways if you keep it up."

Ron rolled his eyes at Severus as he reset the board. "It's not my fault Harry's so bad at chess. Anyone else want to play me? Hermione?"

"No thanks, Ron," said Hermione from behind her Arithmancy textbook. "I'm in the middle of something here."

Ron sighed dejectedly. Severus got up from the chair he was sitting in and walked over to where Harry was lying on the floor. Severus nudged his ribs with his shoe and motioned for Harry to move. Harry smirked at Ron's shocked face as Severus got down on his stomach on the floor, setting up Harry's black pieces opposite Ron's white. Harry sat cross legged off to the side to watch.

"I believe white moves first, Weasley," said Severus with a blank face. "Although I will warn you, I haven't played in some time."

"That's okay," said Ron with a smile. "I'll go easy on you this first game."

Samantha bit her lip to keep from laughing and went back to reading the paper as Ron made his first move. Less than ten minutes later, Ron's face fell and Harry laughed loudly.

"I believe that's checkmate, Weasley," said Severus smugly. "I suppose I should have told you before we started that I was the reigning school chess champion while I was at Hogwarts."

"And he was just as smug about it then as he is now," said Samantha as she finished the paper and put it on the table beside her.

"Well, we can't all be Charms prodigies," muttered Severus. He looked back at Ron. "Rematch?"

"Yeah," said Ron as he set his white queen back on the board. "And this time, I'll actually play you and not let you win."

"Whatever you say, Weasley," said Severus with an evil grin. The second game lasted thirty minutes.

"Well, would you look at that," said Severus in a light tone. "Checkmate again!"

"That was luck!" shouted Ron, pointing a finger at Severus. "Reset!"

Harry chuckled as the third game began. Samantha rolled her eyes and grabbed the potions book that Severus had been reading earlier and started flipping through it while Hermione ignored them all, still in the middle of her Arithmancy book.

After four more games, Ron swore under his breath and tipped his king over again.

"Fine," he said angrily. "I think I'm going to go and practice some Defense. Harry, you want to come partner me?"

"Sure," said Harry as he got up off the floor. "Hermione, you want to come?"

She sighed. "I suppose. I need a break from reading for a while."

Ron frowned at her and put a hand to her forehead. "Are you okay, Hermione? You just said you needed a break from reading." He doubled over slightly when Hermione backhanded him in the chest as she walked out of the room behind Harry. Rubbing his chest and mumbling, Ron followed them down the hall. Severus got up quickly and looked out the door. He shut it quietly and locked it. He turned and gave Samantha a predatory look.

"Thought they'd never leave," he said silkily as he snatched the potions book out of her hands. He pulled her out of the chair, sitting in it himself and pulling her back on top of his lap. He began to kiss her neck, sucking her skin softly between his lips.

"Severus," whispered Samantha as he trailed his tongue along her jaw line. "Severus, the kids are just down the hall."

"Mmm, good point," he muttered. He raised his wand and cast a Silencing charm on the room and smothered her protest with a searing kiss.

* * *

Several hours later, a freshly-showered Severus and Samantha were sitting in the kitchen, eating some leftovers from the kids' lunch. Severus looked at his watch.

"It's almost time, Sam," he said. He got up from the table. "Go get Harry and tell him to bring the Horcruxes. Meet me up in the lab." He walked up to his room and over to his bedside table. He opened his drawer and pulled out the jar of acromantula eggs.

"Well, here goes nothing," he muttered under his breath. He shut the drawer and left his room, pausing outside his door to put up some mental walls to shield himself from the pain of the Mark. With his Occlumency solid, he climbed up the three stories to the lab.

The blackbirds stood staring at the goblet and locket sitting on the table between two cauldrons. Samantha was leaning against the wall behind them. Severus walked over with the eggs, setting the jar down and looking up at the clock.

"Hermione, if you could come and assist me with adding the eggs, please," said Severus softly. "Take out your wand and levitate one egg out of the jar. Wait for my signal to drop it into the cauldron."

Hermione stood beside him, and hovered an egg above her cauldron. Severus watched the second hand of the clock.

"Now!" he said as he dropped his egg into the cauldron. Hermione did the same to hers, and both cauldrons emitted a bright white light.

"Hermione, get back!" said Severus loudly. She backed away quickly, as the other three backed themselves against the wall, shielding their eyes. After a minute, the light suddenly faded away. Severus blinked rapidly and peered into the cauldrons. He resealed the lid of the egg jar and placed it on a shelf out of the way.

"It's ready," he said. "Now, this will be the most dangerous part. Sam, come over here next to me. Weasley, Harry, you both go over by Hermione. Listen carefully. One person will need to lift and drop the Horcrux into the potion. The others will need to cast the strongest shield charms they can over the top of the cauldron to keep any -- ah -- _bits_ from escaping. Is everyone clear on what we need to do?"

Everyone nodded at him. "Good. Sam, I want you to lift the locket and drop it. As soon as you let it go, cast your shield charm. Weasley, I want you to do the same with the goblet, with Harry and Hermione casting shields. Shielders, stand out of the way. Levitators, after you drop, move back a step or two as you cast your charm. We lift on three."

Samantha took a deep breath as Severus's voice rang out loud and clear. "One…two…three! Lift!"

Ron and Samantha waved their wands at the Horcruxes, lifting the objects above the cauldrons.

"Wait for it," said Severus as he pointed his wand at his cauldron. "Drop them now!"

The Horcruxes dropped into the cauldrons and immediately began to sizzle loudly. Three shield charms were cast, followed by two more. The shields bulged under the pressure building in the cauldron.

"Hold the shields steady," shouted Severus over the noise. The cauldrons rattled on the table. Harry and Ron's foreheads broke out in a sweat as the minutes trickled by.

"How much longer?" shouted Hermione. "I don't know if we can hold the shields!"

"Just hang on," shouted Severus. "Just a minute longer!"

The shields stretched to their limit. With a huge explosion, all five of them were lifted off the floor and slammed into the wall. The room was filled with an earsplitting shriek and then fell completely silent. Severus opened his eyes slowly, looking around the room. The cauldrons had melted, neutralizing the potion, which dripped off the burnt table onto the floor. He got up slowly, his back stiff and bruised from where he had hit the wall. He helped Samantha to her feet.

"You alright, Sam?" he asked.

"A bit sore, but nothing that can't be fixed with some rest," said Samantha. "Blackbirds, you alright over there?"

There was a groan in response. Severus and Samantha ran to where the three kids were sprawled on the floor.

"Harry?" said Samantha softly as she shook his shoulder gently. His glasses had been thrown off his face and lay shattered a few feet away. Severus helped Hermione sit up as Ron used the wall to get to his feet. He felt the back of his head and grimaced.

"Harry!" cried Samantha. She pulled her wand and started running diagnostics. Her wand glowed red as she ran it over his face. She lifted his head gently, feeling the back of his head with her fingers. She felt a large lump and pulled her fingers away, staring at the redness that covered them. Harry moaned.

"Severus, get him up," said Samantha as she moved to let Severus through. "Ron, help Hermione please." Severus lifted Harry in his arms and carried him from the room, following Samantha's running footsteps down the stairs to the third floor. Samantha threw open the door to Harry and Ron's room and moved over to the opposite side of the bed as Severus laid him down gently. Ron and Hermione hobbled into the room a few minutes later, Hermione leaning heavily on Ron.

"I think Hermione's broken her ankle," said Ron. He helped her over to his bed and set her down, brushing her brown hair back from her face with a shaking hand.

"You know how to set the bone, Ron," said Samantha as she looked up at him from where Harry was still unconscious. "Cast a Numbing charm from her knee down and then heal the bone." Ron nodded and looked to Hermione, who nodded her head.

"Severus, Harry's got a bad concussion," said Samantha softly. "Help me turn him over so I can get to the back of his head easier." Severus gently lifted Harry onto his side and flipped him over. His face paled slightly at the blood running down Harry's neck as Samantha immediately began healing the bump. Severus turned to the other bed, where Hermione lay perfectly still. Ron was sweating and concentrating hard on his spell, surrounding Hermione's ankle in blue light. He ended the spell and gently rotated her foot.

"How is she, Healer Weasley?" asked Severus. He put a pale hand on her forehead, feeling for fever.

Ron exhaled. "I'm going to take off the Numbing charm now. If she's still in a lot of pain, I'll have to get Samantha to look at it." Ron took Hermione's hand and cancelled the charm. She smiled at him.

"There's just a bit of soreness, nothing more," said Hermione. "Thank you, Ron." Ron gave her a huge grin.

"Very impressive, Weasley," said Severus. He smiled at Ron. "Well done."

"Thanks, Professor," said Ron. He turned to Hermione with a serious look. "Now, Hermione, you'll have to stay off your ankle for a while." Severus turned back to Harry while Ron explained the details of recuperation.

"Sam, what's the prognosis?" asked Severus. Samantha straightened up and gave Severus a small grin.

"He'll be okay," she said. "He'll be asleep for a while and have a massive headache when he gets up, but otherwise he'll be back to normal in no time at all." She tenderly turned Harry back over onto his back and reached down to the end of the bed to pull a blanket over him. She brushed his hair back from his head, running a thumb over his scar. Harry shivered slightly and pulled the blanket closer to him. Severus dimmed the overhead lights to a soft glow and turned to Ron.

"We'll leave them in your capable hands, Weasley," said Severus as he and Samantha walked towards the door. "Alert us to any changes."

"I will," said Ron.

Severus and Samantha went back up to the lab. The used potion had congealed on the floor, leaving a gooey puddle of blackish muck. Severus walked over to the table and reached slowly for the locket. He lifted the chain, unsticking the locket itself from some gelled potion. The casing had cracked down the middle. Severus cast a _scourgify_ and beheld the shining, empty locket.

"It's safe to handle, Sam," said Severus as he handed it to her. She took it hesitantly, running her thumb over the mark of Slytherin. Severus picked up Hufflepuff's cup and cleaned it as well.

"Where are we going to put them?" said Samantha as she handed the locket back to Severus.

"Well, they're not staying in this house, that's for sure," said Severus. "I think I'll take them to Gringott's and have them put inmy vault."

Samantha nodded. "Good. I don't particularly want it known that they're here and have people ask questions that can't be answered."

"My thoughts exactly," said Severus. He grinned at her and kissed her cheek. "Great minds think alike."

"You should save your flattery for when you need it, Severus," said Samantha, giving him a coy look.

"It's not flattery if it's true, my lady," said Severus. He bowed in front of her and kissed her hand. "Let's go get some food and take it to Weasley. I'm sure he and Hermione are hungry."

* * *

The rest of the week passed in relative calm. Samantha and Hermione cleaned up the potions lab, having to use knives to pry the dried potion off the floor. Harry's head healed completely and he was back to losing match after match of chess to Ron.

Three weeks after what was being referred to as the Destruction Party, Severus came into the kitchen one morning disguised as Jacob Prince.

"I'm going to go to Gringott's to drop off the Horcruxes," said Severus told the Samantha and Harry as he went to the stove for coffee. He poured himself a cup and walked back to the table, drinking his coffee quickly and scanning the front page of the paper.

"And I guess it would be pointless in thinking that I could go too," said Harry sullenly as he swirled his own cup.

"Oh, I don't know," said Samantha in a light tone. "It never hurts to ask politely for a chance to practice one's transfiguration skills. What do you think, Jacob?"

"Hm," said Severus as he eyed Harry over the rim of his cup. "I assume the other two are still asleep?"

"Yeah," said Harry with a grin. "They were both in Ron's bed sound asleep about thirty minutes ago when I got up."

"Interesting," said Samantha. "I guess they will never learn that it doesn't pay to sleep in around here, will they?" She stood up and motioned for Harry to stand in front of her.

"Let's see here," she mused, raising her wand to Harry's forehead. She cast a glamour over his scar and altered his hair color from black to dirty blond, changing his eyebrows to match and lightening his eyes to a pale blue. She pulled off his glasses and tapped them, changing the thick, black frames to thin silver ones. She ran her wand down his cheek, changing Harry's soft, boyish features into hard, angular lines. She smiled as she conjured a mirror and put it in Harry's hand.

"Well, what do you think?" she asked as Harry lifted the glass. His face split into a wide smile.

"Wow, Sam, it's great!" cried Harry. He looked to Severus.

"All you need are some robes and we'll be set, James," said Severus. "Make sure you wear your bracelet too, just in case we get separated for some reason. Hurry up and get dressed, and do not wake the others if you can help it." Harry ran out of the room and returned ten minutes later in plain black robes and a black cloak that just barely fit.

"So dark and brooding," teased Samantha as Harry slung his cloak over his shoulders.

"Yeah, well, the only robes I have that fit are all black," said Harry. Severus shrugged.

"We can buy you some more while we're in the Alley, if you would like," he said. Harry smiled.

"Sounds good," said Harry. "I'll have to get some money out of my vault."

"Fine," said Severus. "Let's get going. I would like to avoid the morning rush if we can."

Diagon Alley was already getting a bit crowded when Severus and Harry arrived. They walked leisurely down the Alley, stopping at Quality Quidditch Supplies to eye the new merchandise. After ogling the window, Severus and Harry walked through the silver doors of the bank. They stood in line for an hour and a half until a goblin silently escorted them to an empty cart. They rode down to Severus's vault first, where he stepped out of the cart quickly.

"Stay here," said Severus, raising a hand to stop Harry from getting up. He gave the goblin his key, slipping inside the vault and walking all the way to the back. He found an empty wooden box that formerly contained potion vials. He set the cup and locket inside, locking the box securely. He also warded the box so strongly that the only people other than himself that would be able to open the box would be highly trained Aurors. He walked swiftly back out to the cart and sat back down next to Harry as it shot off down the track. It stopped again in front of Harry's vault, where Harry scooped handfuls of galleons into a sack. With their tasks done, they left Gringott's and made their way to Madam Malkin's.

The door chimed as they stepped inside. Madam Malkin came around from behind the counter to greet them.

"Good morning, gentlemen," she said. "How may I help you today?"

"We looking for some new robes," said Severus, putting his hands on Harry's shoulders. She smiled as Harry nodded.

"Well, then step right up on this stool, dear. I'll get you fixed up with some really nice ones."

Harry stood perfectly still while the matron pulled on robe after robe, all in different colors. Severus sat in a chair, watching leisurely. He sneered at one set of Gryffindor red robes that Harry tried on. Harry grinned mischievously and told Malkin that he would definitely be buying those. But to placate Severus, Harry bought plenty of plain black robes and a few dark green ones. They left the shop with quite a few packages. Harry shrank them all, sticking them inside the pocket of his new black cloak.

He looked around as he and Severus strolled down the sidewalk. "Where to now?"

"Flourish and Blotts," said Severus as he casually looked around them for anyone suspicious. "We need some books on a certain Hogwarts founder for our research." They walked down to the bookshop and went through the door. Severus walked to the back where the miscellaneous books were kept.

"Anything on Ravenclaw, James," said Severus as he pointed to the lower shelves. "Bring me what you find." He and Harry scoured the tomes, pulling out a few that looked promising. After twenty minutes, Harry came to Severus holding two books.

"Not a lot of selection, but these looked interesting," said Harry. Severus opened them and was scanning the table of contents when Harry gasped quietly, grabbing Severus's arm.

"Don't look now, but a big snag just walked past," whispered Harry. Severus shut the book with a snap and walked deeper into the store. Harry followed him to a darkened corner. Severus peered around the edge of the bookcase towards the counter and swore under his breath.

"Of all the days to come to the Alley," he muttered. He checked the prices on the books and handed Harry a handful of gold, along with the few books he had found.

"Just buy them all," whispered Severus. "We can always donate them to the school if we don't need them. I can't go up there because she's already seen me as Jacob. Don't act suspicious around her. She won't recognize you. Call me on your bracelet when you're done." Severus wandered through the stacks and out the door as Harry walked up to the counter behind McGonagall. As she gathered her parcels, she accidentally bumped into Harry.

"Oh, excuse me," said McGonagall as she looked at Harry. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, ma'am," said Harry. McGonagall stared at him for a second, but then shook her head and left the store quickly. Harry let out the breath he was holding softly and put the books up on the counter. With two bundles of brown paper, Harry walked out of the store and pretended to yawn bringing his left arm up to his face.

"Gabriel," said Harry softly. His bracelet warmed as he walked casually down the sidewalk, pulling on his ear.

"I'm in front of the Apothecary," said Severus. Harry rubbed his face slowly.

"I'm coming to you," muttered Harry. He walked down the street and saw a brown-haired man looking in a window at powered bicorn horn.

"This stuff is more expensive every time I come here," said Severus softly as Harry handed him the packages of books. "Anything else you need to do before we go?" Harry looked around.

"No," said Harry. He saw a bright colored building out of the corner of his eye and turned to look at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes as they walked toward the apparition point.

"Have you been in Fred and George's shop?" asked Harry. Severus turned and sneered at the bright building.

"Yes, I have," said Severus as he kept on walking. "Albus kept insisting that I drop by. I finally did one day and was appalled at the amount of dangerous items they are selling to young children."

"Not all of it's dangerous," said Harry. "Some of their stuff is really great."

"Yes, like that wonderful Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder that my godson was able to purchase," growled Severus, "which, I might add, is illegal to import into any country on the continent. Britain is the only place in all of Europe where you can buy it legally."

"Yes, well, they know now to check who they're selling things to," said Harry in the twins' defense. "But you can't deny that they are extremely creative."

"Those holy terrors are just a little _too_ creative for my liking," said Severus as the reached the point. He turned and disappeared with a faint pop. Harry sighed and disapparated to the Square. Severus was already out of the park by the time Harry caught up with him.

"How do you disapparate without making any noise?" asked Harry. Severus smirked at him.

"Lots and lots of practice," said Severus. "It's rather difficult for beginners just learning to apparate, but if you work at it, eventually you can reach the point of near silent apparition." He pushed open the door and waved Harry in. Shutting the door behind him, Severus walked with Harry to the kitchen. Samantha was still sitting at the table, sipping a cup of tea.

"That was fast," she said as she stood to take their cloaks. "I take it the Alley wasn't crowded?"

"It was a little too crowded for me," said Harry. "We ran into McGonagall getting some books on Ravenclaw from Flourish and Blotts."

"Did she recognize you?" she asked Severus.

"No, I snuck out while James paid for our books," said Severus as he set the parcels on the table. He flicked his wrist and cancelled his glamour. Harry mimicked him, undoing all the changes Samantha made except for his glasses. He went and poured two cups of coffee, setting one in front of Severus. He was sitting down just as Ron and Hermione staggered sleepily into the kitchen.

"Morning," said Samantha brightly. "You two sleep well last night?"

Harry smiled as he took a sip of his coffee, giving Samantha a wink over the rim of his cup.

"Yeah," said Ron. "I slept really well."

"I'll bet," muttered Severus into his cup. Harry chuckled softly while Samantha covered her grin with her hand.

"Well, get something to eat and bring it with you into the library," said Samantha as she gathered up the new books. "Severus and Harry went to the Alley and got us some books on Ravenclaw. We need to get cracking on finding this other Horcrux."

They spent all morning and most of the afternoon, reading the new books from Flourish and Blotts and several others that happened to already be in the library. Ron closed the book he had and threw it into the finished pile, grabbing another one off the table. Hermione was rereading Hogwarts, A History when she gasped.

"I think I found something," she said excitedly. She cleared her throat and began to read. "'In the year 978, Salazar Slytherin finally decided that he could no longer teach side-by-side with Godric Gryffindor. Such was the nature of their disagreement over which students should be admitted to Hogwarts that Slytherin left the school permanently. However, before he departed, he entrusted several items to Rowena Ravenclaw to pass on to the students of her choice. He left several tomes and a chest that was rumored to have once held several relics belonging to the great wizard Merlin. Over the years, the relics were lost but the chest was handed down to Ravenclaw's descendants, generation after generation. The last reported family member to have possessed the chest was one Miranda Wakefield.'"

"I've seen that name before," said Samantha as she rose to search the stacks. "It was in a genealogy - this one." She pulled a thick book off the shelf and opened it to the table of contents. She set the book on the table and flipped to the page indicated on the table. She followed the lines of lineage down the page and came to a stop at one name.

"I don't bloody believe it," she said.

"What?" said Harry warily.

Samantha looked up at him. "Miranda's great-great-great-great-grandson was Abraxas Malfoy."

Just then, a large eagle owl flew through the library doors and landed on the table. It stuck out it leg, waiting for someone to remove the white envelope it was carrying.


	20. Chapter 20

_**A/N: Enter Monsieur Malfoy, stage right...**_

**Chapter 20- A Surprising Turn of Events**

_On the outskirts of every agony sits some observant fellow who points.- Virginia Woolf_

"That's Draco's owl," said Severus as he got up to get the letter.

"You've got to be kidding me," said Harry, staring at Samantha in shock. "Malfoy's grandfather had the chest!"

"Possibly. Possibly could have had the chest," said Severus as he broke the seal bearing the Malfoy crest on it. His eyes darted back and forth across the parchment. "Bloody hell."

"What is it?" asked Samantha. "More bad news for today?"

"Yes and no," said Severus shakily as he handed her the letter. She took it and started reading aloud.

"'Dear Severus, I am so sorry. I see now that you tried to tell me how it would be. You were right. You were so right and I was wrong. Severus, I don't want to do this anymore. I don't want to see any more pointless deaths. Mother was just the first. Aunt Bella won't even talk to me other than to say how she knew all along you weren't loyal to the Dark Lord. Please help me. I don't know what to do. I'll do anything you want, just get me out. If you want me to pass information, I will. If you want me to surrender to the Ministry, I will. Please. You're the only one who can help me now. I don't want to die bowing in front of him. Hope to talk to you soon. Your godson, Draco.'" She looked at Severus, who was standing rigid in front of the large bay window, a finger tapping his lips in thought.

"I don't know about this," said Hermione as she took the letter from Samantha. "How do we know this isn't some trap to get Professor Snape killed? This could be from anyone."

"It's Draco's handwriting," said Severus softly. "But it could still be a forgery. Or it could be genuine. I'm rather biased in my opinion on which I hope it is."

"I think it's genuine," said Harry. Ron and Hermione looked at him, appalled. "I don't think he would have really killed Dumbledore in the end. He had lowered his wand before the other Death Eaters arrived because Dumbledore had promised to hide him and his mother away from Voldemort. You could tell he wanted out."

"Harry, this is _Malfoy_ we're talking about here," said Ron. "We've already talked about this. Malfoy's a Death Eater through and through."

"Draco never wanted to join," said Severus angrily, his voice intensely quiet. "He would have died had he not taken the Mark, after watching his mother being raped, tortured and or murdered slowly in front of him."

"And he could help us to defeat the wizard he's trying to escape from!" shouted Harry at Ron. "With his help, we could probably find out where Ravenclaw's chest is and if it's really a Horcrux. _And _we could get information to pass to the Order about future attacks, because right now, we are sitting ducks!"

"Alright, everyone," said Samantha as she put herself between the two dark-headed men and Ron and Hermione. "We're getting a little carried away here. Let's all just take a deep breath, calm down, and think about this for a moment. Let's go back through this letter again." Samantha picked up the parchment. "Now, Draco starts off the letter with an apology. From what I know of Malfoy men, they don't apologize for anything."

"Never," said Severus harshly. "They have always prided themselves on the nobility of their blood which, in their minds, covers all atrocities they might commit. This is the first time in recent memory he's ever apologized to me."

"Okay, so that's one thing," said Samantha. She read the next few lines. "He follows that up with telling Severus he was right." She paused for a moment, thinking. "If the Dark Lord were making him write this, would Draco say something like that?"

"It depends," said Severus, shrugging half-heartedly. "If he convinced Voldemort that the only way to get me out was to make me believe he truly regretted taking the Mark, he would have done so. But it's like the apology. It's very out of character for Draco to humble himself and say he was mistaken about something as important as swearing fealty to Voldemort unless he really meant it."

"Was Malfoy close to his mother?" asked Harry, as he started pacing to think. "Would her death have been the last straw so to speak, especially with his father in Azkaban and you on the run?"

"Despite Narcissa's many faults, she was a wonderful mother," said Severus. "She loved that boy with every fiber of her being, so much so that she willing risked Voldemort's wrath and came to me for help. Draco knew that. He would be much more upset over her death than Lucius being in jail. As for my turning, I don't really know how he viewed my betrayal. It may have been something he thought was weak or he might have seen it as just one more person leaving him alone in the hands of a madman."

"He mentions spying for the Order and turning himself over to the Aurors," said Samantha as she read the rest of the letter. "But it's this last line, the 'I don't want to die bowing before him' part that struck me. That's awfully bold for a letter meant as a trap."

"Voldemort would have never let Malfoy write something like that in a letter if he was ordered to write it," said Harry. "Voldemort gets off on having his minions bow before him and kiss the edge of his cloak. That line borders on betrayal and would have been removed before the letter was sent, even if it was sent as a lure."

"That's what I was thinking," said Samantha, nodding. "Now the decision is, what do we do?"

"We write him back," said Severus firmly, turning away from the window. "We see if he is truly genuine in his repentance and go from there."

"I don't think that's such a good idea," said Ron firmly. "This move has too much risk if you're wrong."

"Then we make sure that we still hold some of the cards until we are sure," growled Severus. "I'm not an idiot, Weasley. I'm not about to parade myself in front of Draco, waiting for whatever curse may hit me. However, if he is truly seeking guidance, I will not leave him with no one to turn to for help." He took a step towards Ron, towering menacingly over him. "I know what it feels like to have the entire world against you. Every poison looks like butterbeer and you're hoping that either the Dementors mistake you for prey or that Voldemort will torture you just past that point of no return." He looked murderously at Ron. "I will not sit here and do nothing."

"If that's what you have to do," said Hermione. She put a hand on Ron's arm to stop him arguing further. "But I agree with Ron. I don't think this is a good idea either, but if you're determined to do it, then do it." Ron shrugged off Hermione's hand and stormed out of the room. Hermione ran after him. Harry sighed.

"They'll come around eventually," said Harry softly. "Once they get something in their heads, it's pretty hard to get them to see things from your perspective." He grabbed some blank parchment, a quill and a bottle of ink, and set it down on the table. "Write the dragon back, Severus. And tell him the next time he decides to write a letter that I said to use a little discretion. I don't fancy Voldemort knowing where we live."

"Or we need to teach him the Patronus Messaging Charm," said Samantha.

"We would need to teach him a lot of things," said Severus wearily. He sighed as he sat heavily in the chair. He inked the quill and began to write.

_Dear Draco-_

_  
I received the message that you sent with your owl. You must forgive me if it seems a little suspect. However, I would be willing to meet you to verify its contents. Be in Hogsmeade at the stile at the end of the road past Dervish and Banges a week from tomorrow at 2pm. Come alone or I will be forced to remedy the situation. You will meet a man with light brown hair who will address you by your middle name. You and he will discuss your options, as well as anything else that arises based on any decision you may make._

_Until then,  
SS_

Severus attached his letter to the owl's leg. The bird took off back down the hall to the open window in the kitchen.

"How will you know if he's telling us the truth?" said Harry.

"I will do what Dumbledore did for me," said Severus. "To have someone's trust encourages one to be honest. We will see if my belief in him can save him."

* * *

A week later, Jacob Prince stood waiting at the deserted end of the high street in Hogsmeade, his black cloak billowing menacingly in the brisk September breeze. The other four were stationed around the outside of the stile, disillusioned and invisible save for the blue outline only visible to the other three. A hooded figure appeared near Dervish and Banges, walking quickly to the end of the road. He looked up and saw Jacob waiting for him. The figure slowed his pace and approached the tall man warily, keeping his hood up as he came to stand directly before Severus.

"Hello, Elias," said Severus. He looked behind Draco and back at the young man's grey eyes. "Are you alone?"

"Yes," said Draco quietly. "Did Severus send you?"

"He did," answered Severus. "He asked me to ascertain your feelings towards a certain Dark Lord. I will know one way or the other after we are through. If you have changed your mind since writing your godfather, you may leave and fear no repercussions."

"No, I will not change my mind," said Draco firmly. "My decision is made."

"Very well," said Severus. "I will ask that you allow me to perform Legilimency on you. If you have any Occlumency walls up for any reason, I will disapparate immediately, along with my companions who are watching us right now. I assure you that any memories or information that I retrieve will not be discussed with anyone unless you give express consent. Will you consent to the Legilimency?"

"Yes," said Draco immediately. He made the requisite eye contact with Severus as Severus lifted his wand.

"_Legilimens_!" cried Severus. He was bombarded with memories of Narcissa from when Draco was younger, Lucius's yelling at Draco for dishonoring the family, the beatings he had received after not achieving better grades, the envy of the Golden Trio's friendship. Severus found no walls anywhere, but continued his ruthless attack. Albus's tired face appeared, promising Draco protection if he agreed to lower his wand, Narcissa's lithe frame dropping to the ground after a flash of light, Bellatrix's angry face screaming about betrayal and vengeance. Finally, a memory rose to the surface. A young blond man hunched over a parchment, tears running down his face as he penned the words "You're the only one who can help me" and the surrounding hopelessness and despair.

Severus lifted the spell, trembling slightly from the effort of holding the spell for so long. Draco fell to his knees, shaking violently and gasping for breath. Severus knelt beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"If you have now changed your mind, you may go without harm," said Severus quietly. "I'm sorry it was painful, but you must understand that it was necessary if I am to protect your godfather and his friends from certain death."

Draco's breathing hitched as tears ran down his face. He looked up at Severus with haunted eyes.

"I understand," he said in a tremulous voice. "I want out. If this is what it takes, so be it. I am willing to do this and more if need be."

"That's my boy," said Severus softly. He lifted his wand and cancelled his disguise. Draco's eyes widened before he threw his arms around Severus. Severus held him and gave a hand signal in the direction where Samantha was hiding. She cancelled her charm and walked forward, placing a hand on Draco's back. The boy turned quickly to look at her. He gave her a small smile.

"Thank you," whispered Draco. "I didn't know what else to do."

Samantha brushed his tears away as she held his face in her hands. "You did the right thing, Draco. We will help you in any way we can."

"I must do some introductions," said Severus with a smile. "Samantha, this is my godson Draco. Draco, this is my fiancée Samantha Ives."

"Fiancée?" said Draco. He gaped at Samantha, his jaw dropping as she lifted her left hand, displaying the engagement ring. "You agreed to marry this old man?" Samantha laughed at Severus's frown.

"What is it with all the 'old man' remarks?" said Severus exasperated. "First it's Samantha, then it's Harry -"

"Harry?" cried Draco. "Surely you don't mean Harry as in Harry _Potter_?"

Severus sighed. "Yes, Draco. Harry Potter. As in the Harry Potter who has given Samantha and I a place to live where we won't be hunted down and murdered by my former associates. The same Harry Potter who you are now partnering with to bring down Voldemort." Draco shuttered at the name. "In fact, speaking of Harry," Severus gave a loud whistle. Harry, Ron and Hermione all appeared behind Severus, resheathing their wands. Ron and Hermione stared hard at Draco, their gaze unforgiving as they walked up to the others. Harry approached Draco and offered him a hand.

"Welcome to the light, Draco," said Harry as he pulled Draco to his feet. Draco eyed him suspiciously, glancing back and forth between him and the other two. Harry looked over to Ron and Hermione and frowned at them.

"Don't worry about them," said Harry quietly. "They just don't like to be proved wrong."

"They look about to murder me where I stand," said Draco softly. He eyed Harry carefully. "In fact, why aren't _you_ trying to strangle me?"

Harry shrugged, casually brushing his nails on his shirt. "I've learned to be a bit more subtle in my strangling of people. Doing it in front of four witnesses is not a good move."

Harry gave him a sly grin. Draco smirked at him.

"Then I suppose I'd better think of another way to jinx them without you all finding out about it," said Draco. Harry chuckled and turned to Severus.

"Now what?" said Harry. "I'd like to get out of here before anyone in Hogsmeade spots us. We'd have a hard time trying to get you and Draco out of here alive."

"Indeed," said Severus. He looked at Draco. "Are you still living at the Manor?"

"No," said Draco bitterly. "I have a flat in London. I've been staying there since Mother died. The Ministry took over ownership of the Manor and everything in it. I did as you told me after we left Hogwarts and emptied the bank accounts into another vault under the guise of Morgan Lancaster, a young and handsome dark-haired man, with stunning good looks and bright blue eyes."

"And I thought Gryffindors were the overly arrogant ones," muttered Samantha with a grin. "Well. Good to know that you have some means to live on. However," she said as she turned to Severus. "If the Ministry has seized the Manor and its contents, we have a problem."

"A very big problem," added Harry. He glanced quickly at Draco, who was looking back and forth between the three of them.

"What's at the Manor?" asked Draco. Harry and Samantha looked at Severus, who rubbed a hand over his face.

"Draco, you must continue living at your apartment for now," said Severus, ignoring his question. "You will begin lessons with me in how to deceive Voldemort, beginning immediately."

"Start him out with written correspondence," said Harry smugly. Samantha hit his arm and glared at him.

"Where will we meet?" said Draco. "It's risky to meet at the apartment, but we can if we need to."

"Unfortunately, I cannot bring you into Order Headquarters until your Occlumency is a little better," said Severus. "Give me the address of your apartment. I will meet you there and we will work on some things. When I think that you are ready, we will bring you into the 12 for higher level training with all of us." Samantha conjured some parchment and an inked quill.

Draco nodded and wrote his address on the slip of paper and handed it to Severus.

"I will see you tomorrow at 10am," said Severus as he read the parchment. "Be ready."

"I will," said Draco. He left the stile with a loud crack.

Samantha took Severus's hand. "Let's go home."

Five pops sounded at the end of the high road, leaving the stile silent once again.

* * *

After a late dinner, the five of them sat around the kitchen table, discussing where Ravenclaw's chest might be.

"I have no clue as to where they keep the things they confiscate during raids," said Ron. "Dad's never mentioned it. It's got to be somewhere in the Ministry."

"Most likely it's connected in some way to MLE," said Samantha, "since most of the stuff they confiscate is illegal or Dark."

"Can't we just ask Mr. Weasley what they do with it?" asked Hermione. "Is he allowed to tell us?"

"We would be incredibly fortunate if he could," said Severus. "Weasley, Patronus him and ask."

"I've never done the charm before," said Ron hesitantly. "I don't know if it'll work."

"Nothing like the present to find out," said Severus, staring hard at Ron. Ron sighed and left the room. He returned a few minutes later and sat back down.

"It's sent," said Ron. "We should get something back anytime now."

The minutes passed in silence before a white light shot through a wall directly towards Ron. Ron touched the patronus with his wand and pulled the message off, unrolling the parchment to read.

"He says he has no idea where they put that stuff," said Ron, reading the parchment. "He hands anything that looks suspicious over to the Aurors to handle." He vanished the parchment with a tap of his wand.

Severus sighed loudly. He got up out of his chair and walked to the mantle. He braced himself against the fireplace, hanging his head and thinking.

"Then we have to go after the snake," he said softly. He turned back around to the table.

"Exactly how are we going to do that?" asked Hermione. "If we kill the snake, then Voldemort will know that we're out to destroy the Horcruxes and will attempt to steal the chest before we can get to it."

"We just need a little time before the snake is dead so that we can find the chest and bring it here," said Samantha. She thought for a moment. "Since the snake is alive, we can't use the potion we used for the others, right Severus?"

"That's right," he answered. "That potion won't work for living things. We should just be able to kill the snake and have the soul be destroyed. It's the same way with Voldemort once we destroy all the Horcruxes. He'll become just a man with one soul and can therefore be killed with something as simple as a well-placed Killing Curse. The snake is no different."

"Aren't there poisons that can be modified with a time-release charm, where the potion's effects are delayed after you administer it?" asked Harry. Severus grinned at him.

"Been doing a little potions reading, have we, Harry?" he smirked. Harry rolled his eyes.

"Just the stuff you _made _me read when we were doing antidotes," said Harry. "Not anything else. That's Hermione's job."

"There are a ton of poisons that fit that description," said Hermione. "Once we get close enough to the snake itself, we would then have to figure out a way to get the poison into the snake without Voldemort finding out about it or being able to detect it."

"All we need is the potion, then," said Harry. "We can have Draco give it to Nagini." Ron shook his head, giving Harry a skeptical look.

"Would Malfoy be able to get close enough during a meeting?" asked Ron. "It would be fairly obvious if he just went up to it and fed it something."

"I am going to have to look through some books," said Severus. He looked at his watch. "It's late and it's been a long day. We can continue this discussion at a later time. I will be at Draco's for most of the day tomorrow, so I'm going to go to bed. Goodnight, all." He left the kitchen, giving Samantha a kiss.

"I don't trust him," said Ron as soon as Severus left the room. "Malfoy can't seriously be thinking about joining us to fight against You-Know-Who."

"Severus trusts him," said Samantha as she rose from the table. "I trust him. Do you think we're wrong?"

"I don't know," said Ron. "I honestly can't say for certain that he's telling the truth. And that's what keeps me from trusting him."

"I, for one, am keeping a close eye on him," said Hermione. "He can't have just given up all the ideas that he's been brought up with."

"So you're holding his past against him, is that it?" asked Harry. Samantha noticed his hands shaking under the table and gave his shoulder a squeeze. "Because he took the Mark, that automatically cancels out anything he says or if he changes his mind?"

"Yes," said Ron harshly. "He made his choice. If he couldn't stick it out, he shouldn't have made the choice in the first place."

"Ron's got a point, Harry," said Hermione. "Malfoy knew what went on inside Voldemort's circle. His father's been a Death Eater since before Draco was born. He would have talked about it with him, knowing that someday Malfoy would take the Mark."

"Then that begs the question," said Samantha, her voice deceptively calm, "do either of you trust Severus at all? Because he most certainly took the Mark under the same circumstances as Draco."

"That's different," said Ron quickly. "He turned a long time ago and has been spying and helping the Order for longer than we've been alive."

"We've been around Professor Snape long enough to _know _he's on our side," said Hermione. "We haven't had that same time to observe Malfoy. He could be fooling us right now and we wouldn't know it until it was too late."

"So you will trust the murderer of the greatest wizard of the age, but not a boy who made a bad decision and has changed his mind?" said Samantha, her temper rising.

"Yes," said Hermione. "The circumstances are different." Ron nodded in agreement.

Samantha ground her teeth together while Harry stood up slowly from the table.

"It is _not _different," said Harry softly. "You didn't see Draco standing before Dumbledore. He was so scared. He'd gone to all that trouble to get the Death Eaters into the castle, to try and kill Dumbledore with the necklace and the mead. But he's just like us. Forced into something that he doesn't want to do in order to save the people he loves. We have something the Death Eaters don't have and will never have."

"Yeah, a bloody conscience," said Ron angrily.

"No!" shouted Harry, pounding a fist on the table. "We have hope! We believe that someday we will live in a world free from fear and Voldemort, free from the terror of that goddamn green light and of the Dark Mark. We have hope that we will live to see our children grow up and go to Hogwarts and be married and have kids of their own. That is what I am fighting for! That's what I want to accomplish in killing that bastard! I want the life that was stolen from me when my parents died!" Harry pushed roughly past Ron and left the room, slamming the kitchen door behind him.

"I will not discuss this again with either of you," said Samantha in a low tone. "I refuse to listen to this anymore and advise you not to speak of this in front of Severus, lest you be cursed six ways from Sunday. If you two are so stubborn that you will not help Draco, then so be it. Just remember who is risking their life to save people who hate them." Samantha stormed out of the room and up the stairs to Severus's room. She threw open the door and almost slammed it closed, before remembering that Severus had already gone to bed. She shut the door with a soft click and saw Severus turn towards her.

"Sorry," whispered Samantha. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"I wasn't asleep yet," said Severus. "There were these awfully rude people downstairs yelling at each other."

"I'm sorry," said Samantha as she took off her jumper. "We have some reluctant Gryffindors who are not thinking logically about things."

"It is to be expected," sighed Severus. "There's too much history between them all for it to just go away. Although I must say, I'm rather proud of Harry. I thought him accepting me was quick."

"I thought so too," said Samantha as she let her hair down. "But Harry has had much more to deal with in his life than both Ron and Hermione combined. He understands what's at stake." She slipped between the covers and lay next to Severus. "And besides, he trusts you wholeheartedly. He would follow you anywhere, even to death."

"I know," whispered Severus. "Damn Gryffindor loyalty." He pulled Samantha closer to him, wrapping his arm around her waist. "It scares me, Sam. He looks at me like he did Black or Lupin."

"Or Albus," said Samantha softly.

"That's even worse," said Severus. "I can't be to him or Draco what Albus was to me. No one could live up to that kind of standard."

"Severus, you're missing the point," said Samantha. "You don't have to be like Albus. In fact, I daresay that if you started treating Harry the way Albus did, Harry would hex you into next week. He looks up to you for who _you _are. He doesn't try to make you fill anybody's shoes - not Remus's, not Sirius's, and certainly not Albus's. You believe in him and enable him to fight. You don't keep him back because he's young and he loves you for that. You have given him the courage to keep fighting. You can give that kind of courage to Draco too."

"I just don't want to let either of them down," whispered Severus, hugging Samantha tighter. "Albus never let me down."

"But Albus was just as fallible as you are, Severus," said Samantha. "He made mistakes and made you angry and upset. But you still loved him with everything you had. Love doesn't remember all the bad times and all the times you were disappointed. Love remembers the laughter and the joy of the other person, and how much that person gave to you of themselves." She leaned up and kissed him. "Go to sleep, love. Quit worrying about it. They're going to love you no matter what, so you had best just get used to it."

"I love you, Samantha," whispered Severus as he closed his eyes.

Samantha smiled in the darkness.

"I love you too."

_**A/N2: Gold star to you if you spotted the LOTR quote...**_


	21. Chapter 21

**_A/N: As to the question of Borgin's knowledge of the Horcrux...interesting thought. However, my inept Borgin is merely a pawn being used by his charming former employee. Borgin doesn't know what's down there, other than it's something very important...he's just the zookeeper._**

_**And now, for my answer to a question that has plagued Severus lovers since that revealing episode at the end of GoF...**_

**Chapter 21- For the Sake of the Ones We Love**

_Everything you do is triggered by an emotion of either desire or fear.- Brian Tracy_

Severus left the next morning at 9:15 to go to Draco's. Harry and Samantha sat in the kitchen, enjoying their customary silent breakfast before Ron and Hermione woke up. Samantha finished reading the paper and set it down in front of her.

"Anything important in there today, Sam?" asked Harry as he drank the rest of his coffee.

"No, not today," said Samantha. She leaned her head on the back of the chair and sighed.

"Aw, come on now, it's not so bad," said Harry lightly. "Severus will come back exhausted, Ron and Hermione will glare at us the whole day, and Voldemort is still out for our blood."

Samantha chuckled half-heartedly.

"Thank you, my dear James," she said. "It's always good to look on the bright side of things."

"Perspective, Sam. It's all about perspective," said Harry with a wide grin. "So, what should we do today?"

"I was going to go pull all the books out of the library on potions for research on our little snake problem," said Samantha. "You're welcome to help if you want."

"That sounds so exciting," said Harry sarcastically. "But I think I'm going to workout a bit. My wand hand's getting itchy."

Samantha smiled. "Just be careful. I don't want to spend the afternoon playing Mediwitch." Harry rolled his eyes.

"Yes, Mum. Call me for lunch."

Samantha finished drinking her tea and walked down the hall. She got to the library and found no potions books. Irritated, she scanned the stacks for anything interesting and found a rare Charms book from the Renaissance. She sat in the chair by the window, immersing herself in the book and completely losing track of the time.

Harry came into the library at 4:30. He smiled at Samantha sleeping in the chair, her book propped open on her stomach. He looked towards the hall and motioned into the room with his head. A tall cloaked figure walked up behind him, staring at the angelic figure in the chair.

"Her and her books," said Severus softly. "She was like this in school, too. I'd find her in the library before breakfast slumped over a table during exams, with books everywhere. I think it's the only sleep she got the whole week."

"I never did understand that mentality," whispered Harry. Severus looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"You, a star Quidditch player for the Red and Gold, not understand loving something so much that it becomes your entire existence for the better part of the school year?" mocked Severus. Harry gave him a little shove.

"Alright, you made your point," said Harry softly. "Why don't you make sure she's up in time for dinner? I'll go start some spaghetti." Harry left for the kitchen as Severus walked softly over to Samantha's chair. He lowered his hood, uncovering his tied-back hair that was coming loose from the ribbon. He brushed her raven locks back from her face and pressed his lips softly to hers. She opened her eyes as he pulled away.

"Hello, my love," Severus whispered. Samantha stretched and sat up straight in the chair.

"Hello there, handsome," she said. "How were your lessons with Draco?"

"They were surprisingly good," said Severus. "He's obviously been practicing Occlumency on his own. A week or two more and he'll be on par with Harry."

"Wow, that's great, Severus!" said Samantha excitedly. "Do you think he's already able to pass us information?"

"Possibly," said Severus. "I'm going back the day after tomorrow. I'll teach him the Patronus Messaging Charm then, so we can receive the information and pass it on. We'll let your wonderful cousin and Arthur decide what to do with it."

"Good thinking," said Samantha. She sniffed at the air. "Who's cooking garlic?"

"Young Mr. Potter is fixing us a culinary treat," said Severus, regally holding out his hand to Samantha. "Angel hair pasta covered in delectable marinara sauce with, hopefully, some bread and salad."

"You and your flare for the dramatic," said Samantha as she took his hand and got up from her chair. "Are you always this verbose, my dear Severus?"

"Yes, he is," smirked Harry as he leaned against the doorframe. "You should hear the speech he gave to us as first years the very first day of Potions. I'll never forget it as long as I live."

Harry crossed his arms and look haughtily down his nose. Samantha snickered at his close resemblance to Severus. Severus frowned at her as Harry spoke in a soft, velvety tone. "I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind and ensnaring the senses." Samantha burst out laughing while Severus glared at both of them as Harry continued. "'I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death - if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach.'"

Samantha doubled over in laughter, leaning heavily on Severus. She grabbed his arm tightly as Harry gave Severus a cheeky grin and ran back to the kitchen.

"Let me go, Samantha," growled Severus, prying her fingers from their grasp on his arm. "I want to wring his scrawny little neck, the impudent little brat!"

"Now, Severus," said Samantha with a huge grin, "It was just a bit of fun. Let's be an adult about it, hm?"

Severus sighed and nodded. Samantha let go of him and he raced out of the room and down the hall before she could catch him.

"Severus Gabriel Snape!" yelled Samantha as she ran after him. She burst into the kitchen to find Harry in a choke hold.

"Sam! Help!" said Harry as Severus grinned at her.

"Severus! What in the hell are you doing?" cried Samantha. "You're going to choke him!"

"Well, yes, dear, that is the point," said Severus. He looked back down at Harry. "How are we doing, James? Your face is awfully red."

"You - wait - old man!" panted Harry. Severus let him go and Harry stumbled forward, coughing.

"Now, Severus," teased Samantha. "I'll have to send you to bed without dinner unless you behave."

"He started it," said Severus, pointing a finger at Harry. Harry stuck his tongue out at Severus from behind Samantha.

"Yes, thank you for acting in a mature manner," said Samantha, smirking at both of them. She turned to Harry, who was still rubbing his neck. "Where are Ron and Hermione?"

"They're upstairs," said Harry. "I'll go and get them. The pasta should be done by now." He grinned at Severus as he left the room. He returned a few minutes later, the other two in tow. They all sat down to eat, not talking much as the tension over Draco became immediately apparent. As the food disappeared, Ron cleared his throat.

"Hermione and I are going to Hogsmeade a week from this Saturday for her birthday," said Ron. He kept his eyes down on his plate, pushing his salad around in circles.

"Oh," said Samantha, raising an eyebrow at Severus. "That'll be nice. You'll just have to be very, very careful."

"I'd rather you not go at all," said Severus. He held his hand up at Ron and Hermione's protestations. "But I am not your guardian. Therefore I cannot keep you here against your will if you are determined to go. You are old enough to be responsible and take care of each other should you run into any trouble. I do ask that you be back at a reasonable hour, as it will be getting dark rather early."

"We should be back by late afternoon," said Hermione in a bright tone. "I can't wait! I haven't been out of this house in months!"

Dinner ended on a happy note, everyone filled to bursting with pasta and bread. Harry had Kretcher clean the dishes, with much muttering and cursing to be heard. Severus was walking out of the kitchen when Harry pulled on his sleeve.

"Would you mind doing a little training with me tonight?" asked Harry. "I did some earlier today, but it helps to have another person with me. Ron and Hermione are off in their own little world."

"Are you sure you want to train with an old man, James?" teased Severus. "I don't know if I'll be of much assistance to one so young and quick as you."

Harry schooled his face into one of serious concern. "It's up to you. I wouldn't want you to get hurt. Brittle bones and all." Harry took off in a dead sprint towards the ballroom, barely dodging a stunner from Severus.

"Merlin, Severus, not in the hall!" cried Samantha from over the second floor banister. "Keep your badly aimed spells within the confines of the ballroom, if you please!"

"Yes, Mum," said Severus snidely. He raced after Harry into the large dark room and dropped to the floor immediately, the red light of a stunner whizzing over his head.

"Sneaky, my young Gryffindor," said Severus softly as he crept around the room. "But can you continue to be sly and cunning?" He spotted movement and fired off a Jelly-Legs. There was a loud thud and cursing before the silence resumed. A light flew at Severus and hit him before he could conjure a shield, knocking him to the floor. He cut through the ropes of Harry's _incarcerous_ spell and stood quickly. He grinned in the darkness and softly whispered a spell. The form of a tall, skinny boy glowed green in the darkness. Severus flicked his wand at Harry, ropes coming out of the end and tying him up. Severus snapped his fingers, lighting the chandelier.

"You cheated," said Harry, struggling against his restraints.

"Says who?" said Severus, raising an eyebrow. "You didn't tell me what spells I could or could not use. Besides, any opponent you're going to face will not ask you beforehand which spells you are familiar with. You have to know how to strike first and take your opponent out before they can take you out." Severus cancelled his spell and helped Harry off the floor. "Most amateur duelers will wait for their opponent to strike first, putting themselves on the defensive. You must always be the first to cast and cast something powerful or distracting. It keeps you one step ahead of them, at least in the beginning." Severus walked a few paces away from Harry and turned. He gave Harry a bow, and took on a dueling stance. Harry did the same, eyeing Severus carefully. They stood completely still for several moments.

"You've already lost," said Severus as he relaxed. "You had seconds to fire and you just stood there."

Harry sighed. "Sorry. I'm just so use to being attacked. It's hard to change your perspective."

"You must try and do so," said Severus softly. "Hesitation will kill you. It has been proven time and time again. That is why control of the situation is of utmost importance. Occluding your mind during a duel will keep you properly detached from the emotional drain of fighting and any strong emotions that may be used to distract you, in addition to a certain level of pain from the duel itself. Let's try again."

Severus and Harry mock dueled for the next three hours. By the end of their practice, both were covered in sweat and breathing hard. Severus looked at his watch as Harry stumbled weakly against the wall behind him.

"It's late, Harry," said Severus softly. "Let's end here for tonight. But I would like to ask you a question before you go."

"What about?" asked Harry as he sat on the floor. Severus came over and sat beside him.

"I want to bring Draco here next weekend while Weasley and Hermione are off doing -- whatever it is they do," said Severus. "But I wanted to make sure that was okay with you. This is still your house, no matter how many people live here. I would never presume to bring him here without asking you first." Harry nodded tiredly.

"That's fine," said Harry. "I don't mind him coming. Plus, Ron and Hermione won't be here to harass him the whole time."

"Well, yes, that was my intention in inviting Draco then, as opposed to any other time," said Severus with a smirk. "Draco is nervous enough about doing what he's already agreed to do, never mind having to deal with stubborn Gryffindors. I was thinking we could do some training like we just finished and maybe a little Occlumency practice with both of you, since I haven't had any lessons with you in a while. What do you think?"

"Sounds good," said Harry. "There's just one problem. How are we going to get him inside the house if it's still under Fidelius? Dumbledore was the Secret Keeper, so he can't tell Draco the location."

"Yes," said Severus. "But if you took your thinking a little further, you would realize that most spells cast by a person completely disappear after the caster dies. Albus's Fidelius on this house and the Order completely dissipated upon his death," said Severus. "He knew this might happen, so he made the requisite preparations, while still ensuring that the Order members who he personally had told the secret to would still be able to enter. He had to modify the Fidelius Charm slightly, but as you know, it's still working perfectly."

"A new Secret Keeper," said Harry. He rubbed a hand over his face. "If it's McGonagall, we're toast."

Severus chuckled. "No, it is certainly not McGonagall. That would indeed cause us endless amounts of grief. No, the new Secret Keeper will be more than happy to grant Draco access to the house for training." He grinned slyly at Harry, whose face broke out in a wide smile.

"Brilliant!" cried Harry. "How long?"

"Since I told him about the Unbreakable Vow," said Severus smugly. "No one else knows, not even Sam. Although I'm sure once Draco gets here, she'll figure it out rather quickly. I told Albus to find a secondary Keeper, just in case, but I don't have any idea if he was able to in time."

"Yeah," said Harry. Severus watched him fidget nervously, opening his mouth several times, but closing it before he made a sound.

"What is it, Harry?" said Severus. Harry played with his wand holder strap and took a deep breath.

"I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done," said Harry softly. "It's probably not what you imagined you'd be doing after that night on the Tower. Especially being here with us. I really appreciate everything you've taught us and everything you're continuing to do for us and for Draco. It means a lot."

"It has been my pleasure," said Severus with a nod of his head. "Despite popular opinion, I do like to teach. However, I only take joy in teaching those who have a true desire to learn what it is that I'm trying to teach them. You and your friends, for all the trouble you've caused me the past six years, can be exceptionally determined once you set your minds to something. That has made this more than bearable."

"And having Sam around," teased Harry. Severus shrugged a shoulder and grinned.

"That is definitely a bonus to being here," he said softly. "I thought that I would never see her again. I thought that as soon as I cast the _Avada_ that I'd lost her forever. But then she completely blew me away, showing up in the forest the day of the funeral and giving me a renewed purpose. She's the reason I'm here right now. I would have died without her and Albus."

"Can I ask you a question, Severus?" said Harry hesitantly. "You don't have to answer it if you don't want to."

"Certainly," said Severus. Harry turned to sit facing Severus.

"Why did you take the Mark?" asked Harry softly. Severus looked down at his hands, fidgeting slightly. He took a deep breath and looked back up at Harry.

"I haven't told anyone this in quite a while," said Severus softly. "But I think you've earned the right to know. Samantha knows, of course. She was the first I told, as it all began with her." Severus took a deep breath and began.

"You've heard, of course, how Voldemort recruits for his army. Some jump at the chance to join, believing whole-heartedly in 'the cleansing of the Wizarding race,' as they call it. Some enjoy the violence. For others, it's the promise of power or the rewards of vengeance. But for some, recruitment is much more akin to coercion or force." He cleared his throat and swallowed thickly, but his voice still shook slightly as he continued.

"As I told you before, I am a half-blood. My mother, Eileen Prince, was a very gifted and intelligent witch. My father was a wealthy muggle that she met through a friend. They married when they found out my mother was pregnant. I was unexpected, to say the least. I'm sure, living with relatives such as you have, you can relate to being unwanted by adults who are supposed to care for you."

"Yeah," said Harry as he though back to living with the Dursleys. Severus nodded.

"My father was not at all pleased when I started to display the accidental magic that most wizards perform when they are young. He never wanted me to go to Hogwarts. In fact, he tried to keep me from getting my letter when they arrived the summer after my eleventh birthday and threatened violence if I left for school. My mother had to write to Albus personally in order to get me safely to Hogwarts. I don't know what went on during the school year, but from what I can tell, my father became very fond of alcohol and reacted violently to seeing my mother perform any kind of magic in the house. As I got older, my father started to taunt and abuse me about my magical abilities, saying how I was unworthy of being a Snape. I remember staying with Sam the summer after my fifth year just so I could get away from him." He rubbed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall.

"Sixth year is when everything went to hell," said Severus bitterly. "I was made Quidditch captain that year and went back as somewhat of a popular person in the House, which drew attention to my admittedly superior potion brewing skills. I began receiving owls from people like Evan Rosier and Jonas Travers and Lucius Malfoy about this group and implored me to join. However, I could never get them to explain to me what exactly it was that this group did. I told them I wasn't interested in joining something that I didn't know much about. I showed the letters to Sam and she agreed that the whole thing sounded a bit off. I went home that summer and found both my parents dead, the Dark Mark floating over my house. The killers had written a message on the wall in blood." Severus bowed his head, closing his eyes to avoid seeing the glistening red letters on the wall.

"What did it say?" whispered Harry. Severus shook a little as he repeated the words that had burned themselves into his mind.

"_'She will be next unless you agree_,'" whispered Severus. "I had never been more frightened in my entire life. I had fallen deeply in love with Sam by then. She was the only thing I had left and I wasn't about to let her be killed because of me. I packed some things of my mother's and went to her house. I remember it was pouring rain that night. I showed up on her doorstep, drenched, with everything I owned packed in my trunk. I sat down with her and her parents, who were Order members, and told them what had happened. I told them that I wanted to take the Mark so that Samantha would be safe. They thought I was overreacting and told me that Dumbledore would be able to help."

He shook his head and chuckled harshly. "What a fool I was not to listen to them, but I was so scared for Samantha. I stayed with her for a week or two before I left. I told her that I would do what was necessary to keep her alive. I contacted Lucius and told him that I would take the Mark. I was branded that summer and completed my first missions as a Death Eater. I went back to Hogwarts, pretending that everything was fine. Sam never believed my act. She saw the Mark on my arm one night, but it didn't phase her at all. She knew I had never wanted to join. To this day, I think she feels responsible for my turning to Voldemort. After her parents were killed after our graduation I was furious with Albus, completely ignoring the fact that it was my so-called 'friends' who had murdered them. I couldn't forgive him for not protecting them as members of his Order. I vowed to protect Sam myself, Albus and the Ministry be damned. I helped her find a flat and kept the Death Eaters from finding her. It was at that time that I was truly loyal to the Mark." Harry's pale face stared back at him in horror.

"Why did you come back to our side, if you thought that Dumbledore wasn't a capable leader?" asked Harry. Severus ran a hand through his hair and exhaled.

"I was so angry," said Severus softly. "The rage I felt at Albus was, in my mind, justifiable. It was this anger that gave me a thirst for blood, for the murdering of innocents by way of nasty potions that I invented or modified. But as time went on, I became more and more empty. My quest for -- vengeance, retribution -- whatever it was that I felt I needed, was not being satisfied. I know now that it never would have been, had I stayed loyal to Voldemort. One of the final straws for me was finding Regulus dead in his apartment." Severus sighed wearily.

"Regulus Black, a member of one of the most distinguished pureblood families in the entire Wizarding world and a brilliant young man, killed by the same people who recruited him for those very reasons. I knew then that I had made a huge mistake. I was a tool to be used against people, only to be gotten rid of when I had served my purpose. I had been following Albus the day he interviewed Trelawney for the Divination post, hoping to get a chance to talk to him. Of course, I didn't know that I would overhear half of the Prophecy about you." Harry looked down to the floor. Severus raised his chin with his hand, staring directly into his eyes.

"I never, _ever_ meant for your parents to be killed, Harry," said Severus. "I may have hated your father, but I _never_ wished him dead. Lily was a good friend of Sam's. I followed him back to Hogwarts that night after I was thrown out of the pub. He saw into my mind with Legilimency, like I did with Draco. He saw me talking to the McKinnons about Sam and how I had kept Voldemort from finding her, despite my anger at Albus for the loss of her parents. He asked me to return to Voldemort as a spy for him, which meant telling Voldemort as much of the Prophecy as I had heard. I thought he was completely insane, and told him so. He had the nerve to smile at me and tell me that he would take care of things on his end as long as I did as he asked. He hired me to teach at Hogwarts beginning the next September. Voldemort was thrilled beyond belief that I had weaseled my way close to Albus. He actually wanted me to become a member of the Order so that he would have himself a spy on Albus, which worked perfectly to our advantage." Severus smiled a little, but sobered quickly.

"I found out the next summer that there was another spy in the Order who was close to you and your parents, although I would have never in a million years suspected Pettigrew. In fact, I didn't find out he was the rat until after the Triwizard Tournament and the chaos that ensued. Voldemort began planning to kill you that fall. I warned Albus immediately, who placed you under Fidelius. A week later, Voldemort was gone and you were lauded as the Savior of the Wizarding World. However, Albus and I, along with a select few from the Order, never believed Voldemort to be gone forever. You are, unfortunately, very knowledgeable on what happened from that point on.

Harry sat in silence as Severus closed his eyes, emotionally exhausted on top of being physically exhausted from their workout. He opened his eyes as he heard Harry stand. The boy held out a hand and helped Severus up off the floor.

"Thank you for telling me that," said Harry. "Everything makes a lot more sense now."

Severus nodded. "I would appreciate it if you didn't share that with anyone. I like to be the one to tell people my own story."

"Absolutely," said Harry. "You can trust me."

"I know I can," said Severus. He looked at his watch as Harry tried to stifle a yawn. "It's late. Best get on up to bed."

"Goodnight, Severus," said Harry.

"Goodnight, Harry," said Severus. "Sleep well."

"You too."

* * *

September 19th dawned bright and chilly. Ron and Hermione flooed to The Three Broomsticks early, wanting to spend some time shopping before the crowds got too thick, armed with passworded portkeys to Headquarters that Severus had forced them to take. Samantha, Harry, and Severus were all in the kitchen, finishing up the eggs and bacon Harry had cooked.

"We're going to have company today, Sam," said Severus casually. Samantha looked up sharply.

"It's not Remus, is it?" asked Samantha, cringing a little.

"No, Sam, it's not Remus," said Harry, grinning. "Our guest is going to be a lot more fun than Remus would be."

Samantha frowned. "Alright, I give. Who is it?"

"You'll just have to be patient, love," said Severus with a smirk. Samantha made a face at him as the doorbell rang. Severus got up quickly and went to the door. Samantha choked on her tea when she saw the pale haired boy in the doorway.

"Severus! How did you get him in here?" asked Samantha as she wiped tea off her chin. "Don't get me wrong, it's wonderful to see you, Draco. It's just that the house is supposed to be under Fidelius."

"It _is_ under Fidelius," said Severus, chuckling softly. Samantha narrowed her eyes at him.

"Are you kidding me?" she said softly. "You're aren't, are you." She shook her head. "Brilliant. The man was bloody brilliant."

"That's what I told him," said Harry. "Since summer before last, if you can believe that."

"With Dumbledore, anything can happen," muttered Draco as he snatched up the last piece of bacon and took a bite. He hummed in satisfaction. "Damn, this is good. Did you make this, Samantha?"

"No, James did," said Samantha absently, still staring at Severus. "I can't believe he made you Secret Keeper without telling any of us."

"He didn't want people to know in case something went wrong, which it did," said Severus.

"Who's James?" asked Draco, as he put jam on a cold piece of toast.

"I am," said Harry. He gave Draco a plate and pushed the eggs towards him, ignoring Severus and Samantha's talk about doddering old men. "It's my middle name. We've been using it as my code name when we go out of the house. That's why Severus called you by yours the other day. You have an awesome middle name, by the way."

"Thanks," said Draco as he sat down and spooned out some eggs onto the plate. "It was the name of my grandfather on my mother's side. Mother wanted it to be my first name, but Father decided that Draco was more _dignified_. Why I couldn't have a normal name like everyone else, I will never know." He began to eat while Harry drank his coffee.

"Unbelievable," said Samantha, shaking her head. She turned to Draco and gave him a smile. "Well, at any rate, our young spy is here for the day. We shall have to make the most of it while Ron and Hermione are out."

"Oh, pity," drawled Draco. "I was _so _hoping to speak to Weasley while I was here."

"Indeed," said Severus sternly. He pointed a finger at Draco. "There will be no untoward cursing, jinxing or hexing in this house, Elias, or you will pay the price."

"Yeah, yeah, Sev, I got it," said Draco. Severus growled at Draco's smirking face.

"He hates it when I call him that," said Draco softly to Harry, grinning. Harry grinned back and gave him a small nod.

"This day is going to be awesome!" said Harry softly. Severus groaned as he rubbed a hand over his face.

"What in the world have I gotten myself into?" he muttered to Samantha. She chuckled at him.

_**A/N2: Harry's mocking of Severus's copious use of descriptive language comes directly from Sorcerer's Stone. Just so no one thinks I'm brilliant enough to come up with that on my own...**_

_**Severus's story: like it? hate it? believable? I'm basing all of my dates on HP Lexicon's timeline for Severus, going with the 1959 birth year, giving him approximately two years of faithful Death Eater service before his turning in the spring of 1980.**_


	22. Chapter 22

_**A/N: Woohoo! You reviewers are awesome! **_

**Chapter 22- Jealousy of the New Best Friend**

_In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.- Martin Luther King, Jr._

Severus, Samantha, Harry and Draco stood in the center of the ballroom. Harry and Draco were back-to-back with black blindfolds over their eyes.

"How is this supposed to be helpful again?" said Draco as he fingered his covered eyes. He pulled out his wand as Harry flicked his out of his holster.

"It is _supposed_ to teach you to listen to what is around you," said Severus as he circled the boys. "Which you cannot do if you are talking." Severus motioned for Samantha to go across the room, while Severus walked in the opposite direction. "You are to try to stun us without the aid of vision. We start now."

Harry and Draco split up and walked around the room slowly. After a few minutes of silence, Samantha took off her jacket and banished it across the room. Immediately, two stunners hit the wall where the jacket hit. Severus grinned at her and nodded. They stood still for a long time, only moving to step away from the boys' path. Severus walked silently up behind Draco, following him closely. Draco stopped and turned his head, his forehead wrinkling. Severus shot a harmless spell past him and crouched, keeping out of the way of Draco's feet. Draco spun around, his shoes scuffing the floor. He was nailed by a stunner from Harry.

"Oh Severus, that was brilliant!" cried Samantha as Severus woke up Draco. Draco sat up and fumbled with the blindfold, blinking in the light of the room. Harry took off his blindfold and sighed.

"Damn," said Harry softly. "Sorry about that, Elias."

"No problem," said Draco as Severus helped him to his feet. "I guess that didn't go well, did it?"

"No, not at all," said Severus. "What went wrong?"

"You mean besides me being hit with a stunner?" drawled Draco. Severus raised an eyebrow at him. Draco looked to Harry. "James, you want help me out here?"

"I heard a noise and fired," said Harry, running a hand through his hair. "I didn't think about it being Draco."

"Exactly," said Samantha. "You also both fired at where my jacket hit the wall." She pointed her wand at her black jacket on the floor. "But you didn't stop to think before you fired if your teammate would be in the way of your spell."

"And I was behind Draco for a good ten seconds before I fired a spell past him, alerting him to my presence," said Severus. "Plenty of time to get off several _Avadas_ or any number of equally fatal spells."

"And then my bloody shoes made noise, and I was shot," said Draco.

"Think about this as we try again." Severus pointed to the middle of the room with his wand. "Go back to the center of the room and blindfolds up, if you please."

They started the exercise again with the same results. Severus shot a spell from Harry's direction, with Draco firing a stunner into his teammate's unsuspecting chest. The fourth time was by far the worst, with both boys firing stunners at each other. The seventh ended with Samantha on the floor unconscious, but Severus outmaneuvered both the boys and Harry fell due to Draco's spell.

"Again," said Severus after he enervated Samantha. Draco and Harry walked back to the middle of the room. Draco eyes widened suddenly. He whispered something in Harry's ear, causing the other boy to grin. They both nodded and replaced their blindfolds. Severus and Samantha looked at one another and nodded.

"We begin now," said Severus. He and Samantha proceeded to opposite sides of the room. However, Draco and Harry clung to each other, moving slightly around in a circle. Severus frowned a little as he scratched his arm. He was instantly hit with a stunner. Samantha's eyes widened, as she turned sharply to look at the duo in the middle of the room. She was felt a beam of light hit her and everything went black. She awoke to Harry's smiling face.

"Hi there, Sam," said Harry. Draco was enervating Severus as Samantha sat up.

"Wow," said Samantha. Severus looked up at Draco, who was smirking down at him.

"Most impressive," said Severus. He stood up and looked between the two satisfied boys. "What did you do differently?"

"We kept track of where each other was by holding the other's sleeve," said Draco. "That way we wouldn't hit the other by mistake. We knew that any sound we heard outside of the two of us would be either one of you." Harry nodded in agreement.

"Well, I must say I'm impressed," said Severus. "You figured out how to accomplish that fairly quickly." He looked at his watched and smirked. "Leave us more time for Occlumency." Both boys groaned. Samantha kissed Severus on the cheek on her way out of the room.

"I'll be upstairs, Severus. You seem to have all the books in this entire house on potions sitting on your floor." She left through the doors and went up the stairs to Severus's room. In front of his bookcases were tall stacks of books, all in various states of shabbiness. She pulled one off the top and opened it, immediately disgusted by the figures on the opening pages. She shut the book and flipped it over to look at the spine.

"_Moste Potente Potions_," muttered Samantha. "Disgusting." She picked up _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_ instead and began to read. She was about halfway through the book when she heard her name being called from downstairs.

"Sam!" cried Severus. "Come eat before the boys clean out the entire kitchen!" She got up quickly and strode to the kitchen.

"No, no, they're awful," said Draco emphatically as Samantha walked in the door. "The Cannons will never make it to the finals in our lifetime. _Ever_. Not even if you were to play Seeker for them."

"Oh, and I suppose the Falcons are going to stomp the Tornadoes?" said Harry. "Oh, hey Sam. But seriously, the Falcons have no defense whatsoever."

"I like the Falcons," said Samantha as she picked up an apple. "Their Chasers are unbeatable."

"I can't believe I'm marrying a Falcons fan," muttered Severus. He took a drink of pumpkin juice and moaned. "I absolutely love this stuff."

"I remember you used to drink it by the pitcher during Quidditch season," said Samantha, grinning. "No one near us could ever get any because you would drink the entire pitcher as soon as it hit the table."

"What position did you play?" asked Harry, excitement shining in his green eyes.

"Chaser," said Severus smugly. "I was never quick enough to beat Lucius for Seeker when I was in first and second years, but then the position went to Rosier and to some young, unmemorable kid after he graduated. I never had a chance, so Chaser it was."

"So you played against my dad?" asked Harry. He grinned. "Did you ever beat him?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact," said Severus with a smirk. "We beat the Red and Gold five years running for the Cup when your father and Black were Chasers, two of which when I was captain of the Slytherin House team."

Harry sat in shock as Draco smirked at Harry.

"Gryffindor wasn't always the unbeatable force they have been the past few years," said Severus. "There was that brief time when Weasley's older brother player Seeker, but even then, they only won until Weasley's seventh year when Terrance Higgs played Seeker for our team."

"Unbelievable," said Harry as he shook his head. "No wonder McGonagall went nuts when we won the Cup in our third year."

"Yes, she was nauseatingly smug the rest of that term," said Severus. He turned to Samantha who was munching on her apple. "Did you find anything in the books upstairs, love?"

"Not really," said Samantha, swallowing. "Although, Potions isn't really my area of expertise, if you recall."

"Hmm," said Severus. "Indeed. I'll have to look through some of my other books."

"So what kind of potion are you brewing?" asked Draco. "I may have some books in my vault if you think you'll need them. Father's potion section of the Manor library was ridiculous. I did manage to get most of the books into storage before the Ministry came calling. Might have some cool Charms books too, if you're interested."

"Ooh, charms books? Which ones?" asked Samantha. She leaned towards Draco. "Do you have any older ones? I remember one from the Hogwarts library that I used all the time for essays but when I graduated, I couldn't find it anywhere. What _was_ its name?" She looked off into the corner of the room. Draco looked at Harry with raised eyebrows.

"She's kind of into Charms," said Harry softly.

"Or something," said Draco. Severus rolled his eyes at her.

"If I need some books, you can go with me and look at the others, Samantha," said Severus. "Now, if everyone is done eating and discussing inferior Quidditch teams, perhaps Sam would consent to showing us some of her more spectacular charms in the ballroom."

The rest of the afternoon was spent showing Draco Samantha's modified Disillusionment charm, along with some more complicated Defense hexes and jinxes. Severus also showed him the Patronus Messaging Charm.

"You can use this to give me your reports," said Severus after Draco had mastered the spell. "Every time you attend a meeting, we would like to have a detailed account of things that are important."

"So, basically everything," said Draco. "I won't know what's not important and what is at first."

"Well, it wouldn't hurt to send it all to us anyway," said Samantha. "We're the middle men in this whole thing, so we'll just pass the information on to the rest of the Order and let them call meetings as they see fit." Draco nodded and turned away from them, pacing slowly in the room.

"You alright, Elias?" asked Harry. Draco glanced at him and shook his head.

"I think I'll be okay," said Draco. "It's just a lot to remember, you know?" He ran a hand through his shoulder-length locks. "I don't really do well under pressure."

"You'll do alright," said Harry. He frowned a bit and looked worriedly at Severus.

"Elias, you'll be fine," said Severus softly. "But I'm not going to lie to you. It is going to be hard and it will take a toll on you, physically and emotionally. But we will _always_ be here for you. You can drop by here anytime, now that you know where the house is."

"We're all up pretty late if you need to come by after a meeting as well," said Samantha softly. "Or if you want some good food, or if you need someone to talk to about how to handle a situation. I'm sure Severus has plenty of experience."

"Too much," said Severus. Draco nodded at him, still wringing his hands a bit.

"No worries, Elias," said Harry. Draco looked at him, and Harry smiled. Draco grinned a little and straightened his lithe frame, holding his head up. Just then, they heard the floo fire in the kitchen.

"Uh oh," said Samantha softly. He could hear footsteps out in the hall as Ron and Hermione walked into to ballroom.

"Hey Harry, we got you some -" Ron froze as he soon as he saw the pale-headed boy. Draco crossed his arms and gazed casually at Ron.

"Malfoy," said Hermione coolly. Draco nodded at her.

"Granger. Weasley. Good to see you," said Draco in a blank tone. He looked at the watch on Severus's wrist. "Wow, look at the time. I had better get going."

"Yeah, wouldn't want you to miss any important meetings," said Ron as he looked down his nose at Draco, unconsciously mimicking Draco's once-familiar gesture.

"Weasley," said Severus softly, in a tone usually reserved for the likes of Neville Longbottom during potions. "I do believe you had better rethink your words, lest you choke on your huge feet."

"I don't care what you say," growled Ron as he got threateningly close to Severus. Severus raised an eyebrow at him, but did not step back. "There's no way any Malfoy would ever side with the Light. It doesn't matter what he's been through. We've all been through a lot and never thought that the Mark was the solution." Draco's face paled at Ron's words, while Harry's cheeks flushed with anger.

"I cannot believe you," said Harry angrily, glaring at Ron. "I can't believe you have to guts to compare yourself to him. You have _no_ idea what he's gone through. NONE!" Harry gave Ron a shove, pushing him away from Severus and Draco, his voice increasing in volume. "You have no right to say _anything_ about it! He has made his decision. He is going to stand by his word and we are going to help him. You're so self-righteous you can't even see straight!" Ron's face reddened as Harry continued in a low tone. "If you don't want to help him, you can leave. Your parents never wanted you to come with me this summer anyway. Percy would be thrilled."

"Oh, I see how it is!" cried Ron. He pointed sharply at Draco. "You're all friendly with Malfoy now that he's in a position to help you. Don't you see, he's only using you to get a free ticket out of a nice, cozy cell with his father in Azkaban!"

"That's not true!" cried Harry. "What would you do if your entire family was going to be killed if you didn't take the Mark?"

"My family was never in good with V-V-_Him_ like Malfoy's was!" yelled Ron. "They brought this on themselves for siding with him!"

"YOU ARROGANT PRAT!" shouted Harry as he shoved Ron violently. "NO ONE DESERVES TO HAVE THEIR PARENTS KILLED BY A MADMAN!" Another shove. "NO ONE! YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE NOT TO HAVE PARENTS TO TURN TO FOR EVERY LITTLE THING!" Harry pulled back his arm to hit Ron's furious face when Draco grabbed Harry's arm.

"James, calm down," whispered Draco. "I'm not worth this much trouble. Just let it go."

"I will not just let it go, Elias," hissed Harry. "He has no right to do this to you after you've agreed to spy for us. No one deserves to be treated this way." He glared back at Ron and looked to Hermione. She was glaring daggers at Draco holding onto Harry's arm. Harry sneered at her. "Come on. I'll walk you to the park so you can get home before it gets late."

Draco sighed and let go of Harry as he turned to Severus and Samantha. "Thank you for today. Let me know when I can come back over."

"You _won't_ be coming back over if _I_ have anything to say about it," said Ron furiously.

"Then it's a good thing this isn't _your_ house, then, isn't it, Weasley?" said Harry in a smooth voice. "I think if anyone has a say in who should be allowed into _my_ house, it should be me, as I own it." Harry looked to Draco. "You ready?"

"Yeah," said Draco wearily. He shook Severus's hand and gave Samantha a kiss on the cheek. "See you later, Sam." She nodded at him as he turned to Ron and Hermione with an unreadable expression. "Weasley, Granger, I bid you both a pleasant evening." He gave them a small bow and left the room behind Harry.

Ron scoffed as the boys left. Severus stalked out of the room, not speaking a word to either of them.

"Can you believe this, Samantha?" asked Ron. She narrowed her eyes at him, never breaking eye contact as she walked slowly towards him and Hermione.

"No," she said angrily. "I thought the four of you would be such a great team. You each have abilities that the others can only dream about. Yet you choose to focus on the things that keep you apart." She stopped right in front of Ron and Hermione, glaring at both of them.

"I'm actually surprised you've both been friends with Harry for so long. You and he are nothing alike, what with him being branded by the Dark Lord since he was one, his parents being murdered, his being a Parselmouth, his being almost mind-melded with the most evil wizard to walk the earth, and being singled out in a war that involves our entire way of living. The Weasley family is still surprisingly whole for as large as it is, as are the Grangers despite their ties to a famous muggleborn witch. None of your family members have become fodder for the Dark Lord and his minions. None of your close friends have sold you out to be murdered. None of your family has had to take the Mark in order to survive. You've never gone home to find the Dark Mark floating over your house and your parents lying in pools of their own blood!"

Tears were streaming down her face as Ron and Hermione paled slightly. "My father won't get to give me away at my wedding, my mother won't be able to fuss over my robes. They won't get to meet their grandchildren and watch them grow up. Lily Potter will never get to see if any of her grandchildren have her eyes or James's hair. They won't get to see if Harry's kids inherit his amazing Quidditch skills. But you two, you stand there telling Draco that he deserves to have no parents and no one to love him because he made the wrong decision in the hopes of saving his family. I hope to God you _never_ have to make a decision like that. Your families would be in a lot of trouble."

Samantha stalked out of the ball room and upstairs. She burst into the bedroom and slammed the door shut, leaning her forehead against the cool wood and sobbing. She felt hands on her waist and turned around, crying hard into Severus's shirt.

"Damn him!" cried Samantha as she beat her fists against Severus's chest. "Damn him to hell!" Severus didn't say anything, but let her cry as he ran his fingers through her curly hair. He rested his chin on the top of her head as her body slowly stopped shaking.

"God, I miss them, Severus," she whispered. "I miss them so much."

"I know, love. I know," whispered Severus. He pulled away to look at her face. He kissed the middle of her forehead and touched his face to hers. "Everything will hopefully cool down soon. I didn't expect them home so early or Elias would have been gone ages ago."

"I don't think anything is going to change," said Samantha, shaking her head. "It'll be just like with you and Sirius, always at each other's throats when you were in the same room. It's divisive, Severus. It will keep us from accomplishing what needs to be done and will end up with us losing more people."

"We can't force them to like each other, Sam," said Severus softly. "Merlin knows I wish they would all just get along, but it's not that simple. But, we will train them and teach them everything they need to know so that they can fight to win, instead of fight to simply survive, no matter who is friends with whom."

They stood in each other's embrace, their minds churning in the silence. Both of them jumped slightly when they heard a hard knock on their door a while later. Severus frowned and opened the door to see Hermione standing in the hall.

"Can you both come down to the kitchen for a few minutes?" she asked. "We all need to talk."

"Of course," said Severus. He and Samantha walked downstairs behind Hermione and found Ron and Harry sitting tensely in the kitchen. Ron stood up as Hermione came into the room. He waved his hand at the table.

"Please, sit down," he said. "This won't take long." He waited until they had taken their seats and cleared his throat. He took Hermione's hand in his. She gave him a small smile.

"We've decided that Harry's right," said Ron. Harry frowned at him. "We have no desire to help Malfoy or to even be around him. We don't trust him and we will never get along. Us being here while he's here will be a distraction for him and an irritation for us. We've decided to move back to the Burrow."

"YOU'VE WHAT!" shouted Harry. "Ron, Hermione, this is the safest place you could be! You will be risking your life -"

"Save your speeches, Harry," said Hermione softly. "We've decided. We're not going to change our minds. We might have been wrong about Malfoy last year, but we don't think we're wrong this time. Ron's already told Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to expect us tonight for dinner and we've already flooed our belongings to the Burrow."

"So, that's it," said Samantha. "You're not even going to see if you all can be friends."

"We will _never_ all be friends," said Ron bitterly. "That's the whole point of us leaving. You three have made your choice as to who you will believe. We have made ours. It's as simple as that. We're planning on officially joining the Order, so that we'll still be involved."

"Nothing is ever that simple," said Severus softly. "But if you feel this is the right decision for your personal safety and well-being, so be it. I wish you both the best. If you would please not tell anyone about Draco, I would appreciate it. He is in enough danger as it is." He stood and strode from the room, looking weary and defeated.

"We are only as strong as we are united," muttered Harry softly. He looked at his two friends, standing side-by-side and hand-in-hand. He got up and went over to them, offering his hand to Ron. Ron took it and shook it briefly. Harry gave Hermione a hug, which she returned weakly. He walked slowly out of the room as Samantha stood up from the table.

"Bon courage, my little blackbirds," said Samantha. "I truly hope that the two of you find happiness together." She gave them a small smile and walked out of the room, hearing the floo fire up as she walked down the hall. She could hear loud crashes, most of which sounded like the shattering of glass, coming from one of the rooms off the hall. She stopped outside the door, but the crashes became more frequent. She stepped away and walked into the library, shutting the doors behind her. She inhaled the comforting scent of old books and parchment as she walked silently towards the chair in front of the window. She spun it around so she could sit and watch the sun finish its descent beneath the horizon. She leaned her head back against the chair, the room slowly darkening around her. She could spot one or two bright stars in the late September sky despite the bright glare of London's city lights. She wondered idly how she was going to tell Remus and Arthur that they had another spy in the circle, without telling them specifically who it was.

Severus sat in the middle of a completely destroyed room. He had conjured glass balls the size of puffskeins and had thrown them against the wall, conjuring another as the one before it shattered into a million pieces. Bloody Gryffindors and their damn intuition, or at least what _they_ thought of as intuition. It was really just prejudice and ignorance, two of the most dangerous and damaging things in the world, in Severus's opinion. They _never_ listened to reason. They were _awful_ at empathizing with _anyone_ who was different from themselves. They _always_ knew without a doubt that whatever they believed was the truth, no matter how many other people tried to convince them of being mistaken. All this time and energy, _wasted_. Wasted so that they could go back to what was comfortable, to what was known and familiar. He _hated_ waste. Hermione's intellectual talents would be brushed aside slowly as her commitment to Ron grew, just as Ron's strategic mind would only be exercised in the random chess games played with whoever was dumb enough to challenge him to a match. Harry would be left alone without two people he trusted with his life, leaving Severus himself, Sam and Draco to pick up the slack. He waved his wand at the broken glass, vanishing it with a flick.

Harry walked slowly up to the third floor, wondering how in the world things had gotten this far out of control. He was lost without Ron and Hermione. They left just when things were getting more intense. How would they get the chest and destroy it without Hermione's help in researching? How would they plan an attack on Voldemort without Ron's strategy? He sighed as he walked into the room he used to share with Ron.

"It's nice and quiet around here," drawled a voice from the corner. "Like someone died."

"Hello, Phineas," said Harry dully. "Ron and Hermione left because they hate Draco Malfoy and refuse to believe that he's switched sides."

"Did he really?" said Phineas in a delighted tone. "Albus talks all the time about this boy who he thought would be a great asset and another brilliant mind for his Order. Of course, I always told Albus he needed more Slytherins. So, is he doing the same work that Severus was doing before?"

"Yes," said Harry as he sat on his bed. "Severus is training him on how to do it. Draco will send us reports and we'll pass on the information. Ron and Hermione are back at the Burrow."

"I always thought they were a bit one-dimensional," said Phineas. Harry rolled his eyes at the portrait, causing Phineas to tsk softly. "I've always been of the opinion that you would have done better in my House. Maybe now you'll pick up more Slytherin-like traits, hanging around Severus and his lovely lady."

"Goodnight, Phineas," said Harry as he lit the candle on his bedside table. "You can go give your report to Dumbledore's portrait now and gossip the night away."

"See, it's already happening," said the painting. The figure walked out of the frame and back to his portrait at Hogwarts. Harry pulled out a quill, ink and some parchment.

_Elias -_

_  
Hope that you weren't late getting home and that your dinner wasn't interrupted. I thought you would like to know that the king and his brainy queen have moved back to the castle with the king's parents. They decided that I was right in my assessment of their situation and that we would be best served by their departure. Do not feel bad for their leaving. We will all be a bit happier without the village idiot running his mouth. Just thought you might want to know. I'll talk to Mum and Dad about you visiting again. Maybe next time we won't be shooting at things in the dark. Let me know when you are free to do a little deer hunting so that I can know for in the future._

_James_

Harry walked down to Severus's room with Draco's letter in his hand. The door was open, but no one was in the room. He looked to the corner and saw Madeline in her cage.

"Come here, girl," said Harry softly. "I've got a job for you." The owl flew over to the desk and held her leg still as Harry tied on the letter. "Take this to Draco for me, Madeline." She nipped his finger and flew out the window. Harry penned a quick note to Severus, saying he'd borrowed his owl to send a letter to Draco as Hedwig was too visible. He walked back up to his room and shut the door quietly.


	23. Chapter 23

_**A/N: Thank you so much for reviewing! You all get gold stars!**_

**_Oh boy. The R/Hr storyline is ruffling feathers. However, even though I know my Won-won and Hermy are very OOC, I will continue on with this thread. My apologies to those of you Gryffindor fanatics who love seeing the Golden Trio in action. The situation will…uh…rectify itself early next week. And that's the only hint you're getting…(insert evil cackling here)  
_**

**_Oh, and just so I don't deceive any of you further, this will NOT be slash. Ewww. I don't do slash in any shape, form or fashion. That is beyond even what I will tolerate as far as OOC-ness._**

**Chapter 23- Snaking a Way into the Circle**

_Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared. -Eddie Rickenbacker_

The next few weeks were quiet around the 12 without Ron and Hermione. Draco came by about twice a week after getting Harry's letter. Often, he and Harry would end up in the drawing room, playing Exploding Snap or reading some of Harry's defense books after Draco finished reporting to Severus and Samantha on Death Eater activities. Samantha would patronus the details to Remus, who hesitantly passed them on to Arthur Weasley. Often, Severus and Samantha would have the boys running drills in the ballroom.

"Your Disillusionment is flickering when you cast that shield, James," said Samantha. "It would be the most noticeable during the daytime. At night, it's not so much of a big deal. I think your problem is that you're not casting it completely before you start shielding."

"We've done this one ten times already," whined Draco as he slumped against the wall.

"And yet, neither one of you are to the point to where you can cast the charm silently and correctly while at the same time casting high-level shields," answered Samantha. "You both have the same problem that Severus has."

"I have no trouble casting this charm and shielding," said Severus sullenly. "We can't all be perfect at flicking and swishing all the time." Harry and Draco snickered, but sobered quickly with a glare from Samantha.

"Fine. Don't come crying to me if you're spotted due to your shoddy spell work," said Samantha. She sighed. "That's it for me today. Severus, did you have anything else you wanted them to work on?"

"No, we covered everything I had planned for today," he said. "What we really need to do is some research for the destruction of our reptilian friend."

"Will you ever tell me what exactly is going on?" asked Draco. Samantha and Harry both looked at Severus, who sighed and rubbed a hand over his face.

"He may be able to help," said Harry softly. "He's a lot better with potions than either me or Sam. We may need to get into his vault anyway."

"But we won't know until we dig a little into Severus's books," said Samantha.

"Alright," said Severus wearily. "Come, Elias. We are going to be relying on you for most of the work with this one anyway." He led the way down the hall into the drawing room. Draco plopped into the armchair, while Samantha sat on the couch. Harry and Severus both stayed standing. Harry leaned against the wall as Severus spoke.

"Have you ever heard of an object called a Horcrux?" asked Severus. Draco frowned in thought.

"I've seen the word mentioned in a book before somewhere, but not anything substantial," said Draco. "All I know is that they're very Dark objects."

"Indeed," said Severus. "Then it would probably not surprise you that Voldemort has done extensive research on these objects and how to create them." He sighed and started to pace. "A Horcrux is an object in which someone can store a part of their soul by a complex process involving the caster murdering someone. If the caster is then hit with, say, a rebounded _Avada Kedavra_, he will have the ability to resurrect himself if the object in which his soul is hidden is still intact." Draco's eyes widened and his face paled.

"Are you saying," whispered Draco. "that He split his soul and made a bloody Horcrux?"

"Brace yourself, it gets worse," muttered Harry. Severus stopped pacing and stood directly in front of Draco.

"No, Draco, not one," said Severus morosely. "Voldemort made seven."

"Bloody hell," said Draco. He ran a hand through his platinum blond hair. "Seven? SEVEN? Who needs seven of them?"

"He's kind of an evil bastard that way," said Harry flippantly. "Makes our job of turning him into a smoking pile of goo a whole lot harder."

"That's what you and Dumbledore were doing all last year?" asked Draco, looking at Harry. "You were off looking for these damn things?"

"That and learning all about how demented Tom Riddle was," said Harry. "We've actually made quite a bit of headway on this campaign to destroy the Dark Lord."

"Harry destroyed a certain diary belonging to Tom Riddle during his second year," said Severus. "I'm sure you're familiar with what went on that year."

"The whole Heir of Slytherin thing?" asked Draco. "Of course. Father ranted about it for months. He was furious about being kicked off the Board of Governors."

"And it cost him his position in the Inner Circle once Voldemort found out what had happened to it," said Severus. "That happened just before the end of your fifth year. The mission at the Ministry was supposed to be a chance for Lucius to _redeem_ himself."

"How in the world did you destroy it?" asked Draco. "I'm sure you can't just vanish it with _Evanesco_."

"We didn't try that, did we?" said Samantha with a grin. Draco looked at her in shock. "But I'm sure you're right. It probably wouldn't work."

"I can't believe you people," said Draco breathily. "You're seriously on a mission to find bits of the Dark Lord that could be scattered all over the globe _AND_ you're doing this under the assumption that the Dark Lord will not find out about your little plan and wipe you off the planet?"

"Yeah, that pretty much covers it," said Harry. "Like I said, we're making good progress so far. I got rid of the diary with a basilisk tooth. Dumbledore destroyed the bit that was inside Slytherin's ring a year ago last summer. One was inside Slytherin's locket and another inside a cup belonging to Hufflepuff. We got rid of those about two and a half months ago."

"Albus had a good idea what the others were," said Severus. "He was confident that some of Voldemort's soul rests inside another school relic. We believe it to be a chest that was entrusted to Ravenclaw by Slytherin, handed down through generations of Ravenclaws until it ended up in the hands of your grandfather. I'm sure it was in the Manor when the Ministry assumed ownership of the house, so that it now resides inside the bowels of the Ministry."

"I'm descended from _Ravenclaw_?" said Draco astonished. Samantha got up and left, returning a few minutes later with two thick books. She opened _Hogwarts, A History_ to the page containing the myth of Ravenclaw while the other, she opened to Miranda Wakefield's genealogy in _Nature's Nobility_ and handed them both to Draco.

"We want to get rid of the other Horcrux before we go after the chest," said Severus. "This is where you come in, Elias." Draco looked up warily.

"I'm listening," he said as he handed the books back to Samantha. "Where are the others?"

"One resides inside Voldemort's body and can be vanquished with a well-placed Killing Curse or a nice, slow, horribly painful poison," said Severus with an evil smile. "The other is the one we want you to help us get rid of. You've seen Voldemort's pet snake, Nagini, before, correct?"

"Damn snake," muttered Harry under his breath.

"Yes," said Draco slowly. "He brings it to every single meeting we have."

"Excellent," said Severus. "We need you to kill it for us."

"Uh, right," said Draco, as if he were talking to an insane person. "I'll just whip out my wand during a meeting and do that for you. You can bury whatever pieces of my body you can find."

"Use that wonderful Slytherin mind, my dear Elias," said Samantha. "We cannot alert the Dark Lord to what we're doing before we get our hands on that trunk from the Ministry. But," she said as she raised a finger in the air. "You are the only one who can get close enough to kill the snake for us."

"So, we must devise a way to kill the snake so that its death takes long enough for us to break into the Ministry, steal the chest and bring it here," said Severus. "We can then do research on the chest and destroy it while the snake dies."

"And you're thinking about some kind of potion?" asked Draco. He leaned back in his chair, a hand held up to his temple. "One that would be undetectable and would not kill anyone around the Dark Lord so as to not alert the rest of the Death Eaters to your escapades after Hogwarts collectables?"

"That would be preferable," said Severus. "I have a lot of books here, but we haven't found anything yet that would serve our needs." Draco frowned slightly in deep thought.

"You're going to need something that will give you until you're ready to attack the Dark Lord himself," said Draco. "He will get really suspicious when the snake dies. He could go and make more Horcruxes before you can kill him."

"But would he be likely to use just ordinary objects?" asked Harry. "Besides the chest, all of the relics from the Founders are either in our possession or in McGonagall's office."

"Hm," said Severus. "I hadn't thought about it from that perspective. If he discovers that we've already gotten rid of his other Horcruxes, he may become desperate and arrogant enough to storm the gates of Hogwarts to get the sword or the Hat. Or both."

"Which would be disastrous," said Samantha. "We would be hard pressed to cover all the entrances and secret passageways into the castle."

"So that brings us back to the snake," said Draco. "What do we do about that?"

Severus growled in frustration and began to pace. Harry shrugged at Draco and plopped down in the chair next to him. For minutes, the only noise was the sound of Severus's shoes on the floor.

"We cannot wait until a major battle to kill the snake," said Severus finally. "Voldemort never brings it to an attack for the express purpose of protecting it. We're just going to have to go forward with our plan to poison the thing. We will have to obtain the trunk during the holidays and destroy it either right before or after the New Year."

"Where is this trunk now?" asked Draco. "I think I know the one you're talking about. It was hidden underneath the drawing room floor at the Manor at one time, but that was years ago."

"Arthur Weasley said he doesn't know what happens to items after they're handed over to the Aurors," said Samantha. "I've worked in MLE for years and haven't heard anything about a storage facility."

"But they would have to refer to the holding facility in their paperwork, would they not?" asked Severus. "Have you seen anything about it on the reports you edit?"

"No," said Samantha, shaking her head. "The part of the reports I edit are only the catalogues and descriptions of the things they find, not where the Aurors store them for further analysis, and only then it's simply for the format of the form, not the list itself. I give the reports back to the Aurors who filed them and then get them back inside closed and warded folders to file by name."

"We can't really risk asking an Auror who's in the Order," said Harry. "_No one_ is supposed to know about these things. I think the less people who know what exactly we're doing, the better. At least for now."

"We would definitely have less interference that way," said Draco. "I would imagine most of the Order are pretty particular about abiding by the law."

"Especially since most of them are Ministry employees," said Harry. He frowned a little as he thought. "And we're positive that this thing was even confiscated when the Manor was raided?"

"No," said Severus dejectedly. "That's the caveat to the whole thing. We could get as far as inside the Ministry and find that it's not even there." Severus suddenly grinned menacingly at Draco. "However, we could go and check the Manor. Just to ascertain that it isn't there." Harry grinned at him and turned to Draco.

"You're asking to break into my house?" said Draco with a smirk. "I like it. Proceed."

"We would need your help," said Severus. "I'm not quite sure where in the drawing room that secret chamber is, and I imagine Lucius has some wonderful precautions in order to keep certain people from getting inside the Manor itself."

"Are there any other precautions around the house?" asked Samantha hesitantly. "I wouldn't want to bring down the Aurors on us. They'd have a field day, what, with a Ministry employee, two Death Eaters and Harry Potter?"

"That story would be awesome in the Prophet," said Draco wistfully.

"I get enough press as it is," muttered Harry. "I don't need anymore." He looked to Severus. "Should we go now since we're all here anyway? The sooner we know it's not there, the sooner we can work on finding it at the Ministry."

"Might as well," said Severus. "We'll wait until after supper. It'll be easier under the cover of night."

"I could also get the rest of whatever they didn't take out of there as well," said Draco. "Is it alright if I keep any stuff we get out here? I can't really keep it at my place, seeing as how I sometimes have -- _visitors_."

"Sure," said Harry. "There are a bunch of empty rooms up where Sam and Severus are. We can store whatever you like."

"Thanks," said Draco. His face suddenly lit up. "Say, I could get the rest of my clothes and stuff out of my room!"

"We're not going to be there for that long, Elias," said Severus sternly. Draco made a pouting face.

"It wouldn't take me all that long to pack, Severus," said Draco. "I promise to be quick." He looked up at Severus, his bottom lip quivering slightly. "Please?" Severus glared at him for a moment and then sighed.

"Fine, Elias,' said Severus tiredly. "You can get whatever you what while we're there." He looked at his watch. "It's already 7. Let's eat something and get over to the Manor." He walked out of the room towards the kitchen. Draco grinned slyly and gave Harry a wink. Harry shook his head as he stood from his chair.

"I didn't know he was such a pushover," muttered Samantha softly as they followed Severus out of the room. "I could've gotten him to do all kinds of stuff."

"It's the trembling lip," whispered Draco. "I've done that so many times since I was little. Father always hated how he got me whatever I wanted." Harry chuckled quietly as they sat down to eat.

Samantha finished eating first and rose to leave the room. She summoned Severus and Harry's two-way bracelets from their rooms and went to her room, which was now coated in a light layer of dust. She opened the closet door and got out an old, battered trunk. She opened it, digging through the stuff she had taken from her house where she grew up. She found the other two bracelets from the set her father had bought all those years ago for family vacations. She ran a thumb over the phoenix and serpent engravings as she left her room and went back to the kitchen with the four bracelets. She opened the door to find the table completely clean.

"Nice to see that Kretcher's getting some exercise," said Samantha as she placed all four bracelets on the table. She drew her wand and tapped Harry's. It glowed deep red for a few seconds. She did the same to Severus's, with his glowing a dark green. She made Draco's glow navy blue, and her own glowed bluish-green.

"These are all interconnected now," said Samantha as she handed each of them a bracelet. "When you say the middle name of the person you want to talk to, the other person's bracelet will glow with the color of the person calling them. I'm blue-green, Severus is Slytherin green, Elias is navy blue, and James is, of course, Gryffindor red. The receiver then speaks the name of whoever is calling them, and the communication is open."

"Amazing," said Draco. He put his on and held it to his mouth. "James."

Harry's bracelet glowed dark blue. Draco smiled widely.

"Now that we've had a test run, let's get going," said Severus. "Elias, you're going to have to keep your hood up. Your bright hair will be spotted miles away."

"Right," said Draco as he pulled up his hood. "We're apparating, correct?"

"Yes, but I won't be able to apparate unless someone takes me," said Samantha as they walked towards the front door. "I've never been there before."

"Me neither," said Harry.

"Severus and I can apparate you," said Draco as he turned to Severus. "There's an underground passageway next to the greenhouse that will get us into the kitchens."

The four of them left for Grimmauld Square. Once in the grove, Harry grabbed Draco's arm and the two boys disappeared. Severus and Samantha followed directly behind them. They reappeared next to a large glass building, its windows covered in ivy.

"If any alarm is triggered, apparate out or make it back here," said Severus quietly. "If you discover any strange wards, call on the bracelet. James, Elias, go and get whatever you need from the rooms upstairs. Sam and I will scope out the drawing room. Be swift and silent. We cannot linger." The two boys nodded. Draco walked quickly over to a large tree that had been planted next to the greenhouse. He felt the trunk and found a groove in the bark. He grabbed it and pulled open a door. He lit his wand and descended into the passage, with the others hot on his heels. The pathway was straight and narrow, with no side passageways leading off from it. They could feel the floor start to dip slightly, going further underground. After about ten minutes, they came to a wooden door. A pair of entwined serpents was carved into the middle of the door, surrounding a large emerald. Draco tapped the emerald three times with his wand.

"Je sera toujours un Malfoy," said Draco clearly. He tapped the emerald once more. "Draco Elias Malfoy." The door unlocked with a loud click. Draco pushed it open and held it for the others. They walked into a huge room filled with pots and pans and climbed the rickety stairs to the first floor. They walked quickly to the front foyer, where a grand staircase wound its way up to the upper floors of the mansion.

"Call us when you're done, Elias," whispered Severus. The two boys left quickly up the stairs while Samantha followed Severus down a dark hall. He pushed open the doors to a large room.

"I think the hidden chamber is in front of the fireplace," whispered Severus. They stepped gingerly over the strewn parchments and broken glass scattered all over the floor. Severus pulled back a shredded rug and lit his wand. There was a faint line that was perpendicular to the floor boards. Severus felt along the outline of the door for a handle but didn't find one.

"Elias," whispered Severus into his bracelet. It grew warm as it gave off a soft dark blue light.

"Hey, what's up?" said Draco.

"How do you open the chamber?" said Severus. "I can't find a door handle anywhere."

"There's a button in the middle of the door," said Draco. "After you push it, the door lifts slightly and slides open."

"Thanks," said Severus. He ran his lit wand over the wood, feeling with his fingers for the button. He felt a smooth bump that stood out against the rough grain of the wood. He pushed it and stepped back as the panel rose from the floor and slid to the right. Samantha lit her wand and held it down into the opening. She put her wand between her teeth and descended the ladder into the room. She kept her wand aloft for Severus to climb down. He jumped down the last three feet and lit his wand. The room was mostly empty. There were a few random glass vials along with an empty bookshelf. The floor was littered with torn parchments, yellowed with age. Samantha bent down to examine some as Severus stepped farther into the room.

"It's not here," said Severus softly. He directed his wand to the back corners of the room, revealing nothing but old scrolls. Samantha sighed and lifted her wrist.

"James," she said. Her bracelet glowed dark red.

"Did you guys find it?" asked Harry.

"No," she whispered. "Everything's gone from down here. Are you two almost done upstairs?"

"Yeah," said Harry. "Elias wants to check the library, but other than that, we're done."

"Good," said Samantha. "We'll meet you both back in the kitchens." She and Severus climbed up out of the chamber, closing the door behind them. Severus replaced the rug as Samantha walked back down the hall. Severus caught up with her just as the boys were coming back down the stairs.

"They took the rest of the library," said Draco. "But they didn't take any of the clothes. I packed all of Father and Mother's things as well as mine."

"Odd that they took everything else," said Severus. "The drawing room was a disaster. Everything was either smashed to bits or gone completely."

"Figures," muttered Draco. "All the really expensive art pieces were in there." The four of them made their way back down to the kitchens. Draco tapped the door once with his wand.

"Draco Elias Malfoy," he said. He tapped the door three more times and pulled it open. The room suddenly exploded in light. Alarms shrieked to life. Draco cursed loudly.

"GO!" yelled Severus as he pushed Samantha through the door. "Disillusionment charms now!" Draco slammed the door shut behind them. They all hit themselves with the charm, following Severus's tall blue outline. They came to the end of the passage and Severus put his ear to the door.

"Elias, does anyone else know about this passage?" asked Severus quickly.

"No," said Draco, panting slightly. "Along with the passwords, the doors are voice-activated. You'd have to be Polyjuiced to get in, even if you did have the passwords." Severus nodded curtly at him.

"I'll go first," said Severus. "I'll call Sam when the coast is clear. Come up and disapparate to the Square immediately." He pushed the door open a crack, peering out into the night. He opened the door wider and slipped out. He looked back towards the Manor. The house was lit like a Christmas tree. Aurors were already apparating in to investigate, but none of them were anywhere close to the greenhouse.

"Haydyn," said Severus softly. His wrist glowed a faint blue-green. "It's all clear. Move out."

The door opened again and shut quietly. Samantha disapparated with a soft pop, followed by two slightly louder cracks. Severus disapparated and reappeared in Grimmauld Square.

"Elias, go back to your apartment," said Severus. "We don't want to risk any visitors dropping by and you not being there. Give the stuff you packed to James." Draco pulled a handful of miniaturized trunks from his pocket and handed them to Harry.

"I probably won't be able to come back over for a few days at least," said Draco. "Once the _Prophet_ gets a hold of this, I may have lots of unwanted company. I'll call if anything comes up." With a crack, Draco disapparated from the grove.

Draco didn't come by at all the week following the break-in at the Manor. The _Daily Prophet_ was filled with stories and conjectures on the identity of the robber. Draco was a prime suspect, with wanted posters displaying his picture appearing alongside the ones of other dangerous Death Eaters in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade. Meanwhile, Severus, Samantha and Harry researched poisons that could be used on Nagini. They were all upstairs late one night, going through the many books of Severus's library.

"Be careful with one, James," said Severus as Harry lifted another potions text off of a tall stack. "It has a tendency to bite."

"Thanks for the warning," muttered Harry as he held the book at arm's length and gingerly turned the pages. Samantha sat on the bed, with parchment everywhere and open charms books in front of her.

"I've found a couple of charms that might work," said Samantha. "I would have to modify them slightly to the potion, but they should be perfect for what we're trying to do."

"How long would they give us?" asked Severus. He looked at a calendar they had put up over the desk. "We would need at least until," he flipped up a couple of pages, "late February or March, just to be on the safe side."

"So that's what, at least four months?" mused Samantha. She looked down at her notes and back at one of the book she was perusing. "I have one that would give us almost five. I can make it so that the time component can be altered if we need to kill the snake sooner. I just need to know the potion so I can make sure it won't affect any of the ingredients."

"Here's one that might work," said Harry. "Has a hellebore and aconite base." He stood and handed the book to Severus, opened to the page he was reading. Severus read over the potion, his finger tracing the lines as he went down the page.

"Bring me _One Thousand Herbs and Fungi_, Harry," said Severus. Harry handed the book to him and Severus flipped to cross-reference the ingredients. He smiled slightly as he finished.

"Well done," said Severus. "This is exactly what we need." He walked over to the bed and handed the open copy of _Fluid Infusions: A Complete Guide to Rare Potions_ to Samantha.

"Essence du Morte," muttered Samantha. She read the some of ingredients out loud. "Aconite, hellebore, puffer-fish eyes, valerian roots, wormwood." She nodded, handing the book back to Severus. "The charm should work perfectly. I can cast it when the potion was done. We would have five full months from the time of casting before it kills Nagini."

"This potion works extremely rapidly once administered," said Severus, reading. "Within a few minutes, anything in contact with the solution dies due to the liquefaction of its bodily organs." He smirked evilly.

"Disgusting," muttered Samantha. She looked at Severus's upturned mouth. "One would think you enjoyed making dangerously lethal poisons, Severus."

"They're a lot more exciting to brew," said Severus with a grin. "The solutions are much more volatile than anything I do at Hogwarts, even in N.E.W.T. classes. If you botch a potion like this, you usually end up plastered to the wall of the room you're in."

"Lovely," said Samantha sarcastically. "So, what's our method of delivery?"

"That's the tricky part," said Severus. "It needs to be inside something else, and then fed to the snake. That way, Draco won't come in contact with the poison directly. Maybe we can find a way to put inside something the snake will naturally be attracted to."

"Like a dead mouse or something?" asked Harry. "Something Elias can drop at a meeting and have the snake eat?"

"Exactly!" said Severus. "It doesn't have to be a real, just real enough to fool the beast. It can be something transfigured. I can scent it with some kind of blood on it to give it a strong odor for the snake to pick up. If Draco drops it as soon as he apparates to the meeting, no one will know the difference."

"How long will it take you to brew?" asked Samantha excitedly. "Will it take very long?"

Severus looked back at the book, reading the directions. His face broke out in a huge smile.

"Little more than a week," said Severus. "It'll be ready by Halloween." Severus stuck a scrap of parchment in the book to mark the page. "I'm going to get started and make sure we have all the ingredients we need. James, go patronus Elias. He should be at home. He was summoned two days ago, so he shouldn't be out." Harry ran out of the room and up the stairs.

_Elias-_

_  
Man, have I got great news ! We've found a potion and a time-release charm for it. It should be ready by Halloween. Come by sometime next week if you can and we'll go over details._

_See you soon,_

_  
James_

**_A/N2: So I like the French language. Draco's password is "I will always be a Malfoy" (I know, kinda lame…but it sounds cool en français). "Essence du Morte"- Essence of Death…again, not so creative. But sounds menacing in French. _**


	24. Chapter 24

_**A/N: Thanks to those of you who are still with me! A little more lightness and fluff in this chapter...it has just a little drama. Hopefully you'll enjoy it as much as I do.**_

_**I even put in a little more romance for you, Mark Darcy. Hope you like! The next few chapters will be more action-oriented, so I thought I'd add some now. **_

**Chapter 24- Speak Nothing But the Truth**

_Grown-ups never understand anything for themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them. -Antoine de Saint-Exupery_

Severus spent the next week totally immersed in brewing the poison for Nagini. Samantha and Harry worked on Harry's transfiguration, as Severus had barricaded himself in the lab for the past four days. They were now working on master-level transfiguring.

"I'm afraid that you're beyond anything I can teach you now, James," said Samantha as she watched him manipulate a large desk. Harry grinned at her as he made the desk do cartwheels across the room. He set the desk back down in a corner.

"I wish Dumbledore could see me now," said Harry softly.

Samantha pushed his shaggy hair back from his face. She smiled at the young man before her, brushing his cheek gently with her fingers. "You've grown so much just since I've known you, Harry," said Samantha softly. "Albus would be amazed at the sight of you now." Harry looked down, a faint blush coloring his cheeks. She tilted his head up.

"I'm so proud of you, Harry," said Samantha. "Severus is too, even if he never comes out and says it. You can see it in his eyes when you and Draco are training together. He cares so much about you both. And he'd kill me for telling you that." Harry chuckled, scuffing his shoes on the floor. "We will do anything and everything for you and Draco, anything, at anytime."

Harry looked at her with glassy eyes. He took a deep breath and exhaled shakily.

"Thanks, Sam," said Harry. "Being here with you and Severus – sometimes wonder if this is what it would have been like with my parents."

"Oh, Harry," said Samantha with a grin. "They would be _much_ more fun than we are. Severus and I were never as suave and sophisticated as James and Lily were. They would never spend time together researching potions and charms." Harry chuckled softly.

"I think these are extenuating circumstances," said Harry. "I would never do more work than was necessary to learn stuff like advanced transfiguration." He chuckled. "McGonagall would drop dead if she could see the stuff I could do now."

"That would be a sight for sore eyes," muttered Samantha. Harry grinned slyly at her.

"You want to go bug Severus?" asked Harry. "Maybe we could get him to emerge out of his bat cave and eat lunch with us."

Samantha laughed hard. "I think that is a marvelous idea."

"Are you two done being all mushy and emotional?" drawled a voice from the door. "I was getting kind of queasy for a minute there."

"Hello to you, too, Elias," said Samantha, smiling. "What is it with men and expressing emotions?"

"It a _girl_ thing, that's what's with it," said Draco as he walked into the room. "Now, on to more important and _manly_ things. I got a letter from a certain Gryffindor, saying that the three of you had found me a potion to feed to our pet snake."

"We were just on our way to lure the Potions Master from his lair," said Harry. "I actually haven't seen him since he started brewing."

"Merlin," said Draco. "And I though _I_ was really into illicit potions."

"You two don't know what being really 'into' anything means until you've seen Severus in the middle of a complex potion," said Samantha as they walked towards the staircase. "In fact, I don't even know if he'll be recognizable, so just be prepared."

"Your warning has been noted," said Harry. They climbed the four flights of stairs and Samantha knocked softly on the lab door.

"Severus?" she called through the door. "Severus, I haven't seen you at all in four days. You need to come and eat something. And sleep." She heard footsteps behind the door and stepped back as it opened.

"You look _terrible_," said Draco as a bedraggled man opened the door. Samantha frowned at the sight of her intended, noting the dark circles under his eyes and his unshaven face.

"Elias," said Severus roughly, his voice cracking slightly from disuse. "Good to see you. We have some things to discuss."

"How about you come into the land of the living, and we can talk about your amazing brewing skills over some food?" said Harry, frowning at him. "You're looking really peaky."

"I can't leave the potion," said Severus wearily. "Something could go wrong with it and the last batch of ingredients needs to be added in about two hours."

"Who's going to touch it?" said Draco incredulously. "We'll all be downstairs in the kitchen!"

"Just lock the door, Severus," said Samantha. "Please, come and eat. Elias and James can watch the potion while you take a nap and get cleaned up. It's not good to be this tired and trying to focus on a really touchy potion."

Severus sighed. "Perhaps you're right."

"I'm _always_ right," muttered Samantha. She grabbed his hand and pulled him gently from the room. "Come on, love. Let's go eat." Draco closed the lab door and tapped the lock with his wand as the others walked down the stairs.

Lunch was a very quiet affair. Once Severus sat down, his head kept nodding forward and snapping back up. He ate some soup mechanically. Samantha frowned at him the whole time. She glanced at the boys, who were shooting Severus concerned looks. Her lips thinned to a white line as she stood from the table.

"Severus, let's go upstairs," said Samantha. "I'll run you a bath and then you can get some rest."

"I don't need any rest," said Severus over a yawn. "I'm perfectly fine, Sam."

"Yeah, sure you are," said Draco as he helped Samantha get Severus out of his chair. Severus stumbled sleepily towards Samantha, who grabbed his arm to steady him.

"Boys, go keep an eye on the potion," said Samantha softly. "Be careful with it unless you want to end up as little bits on the wall."

"Got it," said Harry. "Just make him go to sleep." They went back to the fourth floor as Samantha led Severus to the bathroom down the hall from his room. She walked into the large room, kneeling down beside the marble tub set into the floor and turning on the water. She moved over to Severus, who was staring blankly at the opposite wall. She untucked his shirt from his trousers. Severus tried to help her with the buttons, but his fingers wouldn't cooperate. She pulled his thin hands away from his chest and unbuttoned the shirt, slipping it off his shoulders. She turned back around and shut the water off. Severus slipped out of the rest of his clothes and got into the tub.

He hissed at the heat of the water as he slowly lowered himself into the steaming tub. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back on the rim, soaking his sore muscles in the water. Samantha wet a sponge and washed his tired body, massaging his tired limbs.

"Lean up so I can wash your hair, love," said Samantha softly. He slowly moved forward as Samantha wet his hair. She worked the shampoo into his black locks in slow circles, massaging his scalp and the top of his neck. She rinsed his hair and leaned his head back down on the rim of the tub as she finished leisurely washing his body. His breathing became slow and rhythmic. She smiled softly, her arms dripping water down the side of the tub as she leaned on her elbows, gazing at his relaxed face. She dried her arms and left to get him some clean clothes. She returned and laughed softly at him still sleeping.

"Severus," she said gently. His right eye opened to look at her. "You can't sleep in the bathroom."

"Why not?" mumbled Severus as he shut his eye. "It's your fault anyway, you and your warm water." She pulled on his arm, lifting his upper body from the side of the tub.

"Come on," she said as she helped him out of the water. She dried him off quickly. His head fell onto his chest. She tapped his face lightly. "Wake up and get dressed. Then you can sleep." She handed him a clean shirt and some loose trousers. He struggled with them until Samantha felt sorry for him and helped him dress. She put his arm around her shoulder and guided him to his bed. He was asleep before he could get under the covers.

"Sleep well, my love," whispered Samantha as she covered him with a spare blanket and kissed his forehead. She shut the door and went upstairs to the lab. Harry was standing over an open book on the table, while Draco peered cautiously into a smoking cauldron.

"What color is it supposed to be after you add the valerian roots?" asked Draco. Harry's forehead crinkled as he scanned the page.

"It says the potion should be a deep pink," said Harry. "Then it says to stir in the hellebore, stirring it continuously counterclockwise for four and half minutes. It should turn blood red when you're done." Draco picked up a small dish with diced hellebore. He grabbed a glass stirring rod and poured the herb into the potion, stirring as directed.

"Time me, James," said Draco as he concentrated on the potion, hardly daring to breath. Harry watched the clock as the seconds ticked by.

"Time," said Harry after a few tense minutes. Draco pulled the rod from the liquid, holding it at arm's length from his body. A crimson drop hit the floor and immediately burned a hole through the wood.

"Damn," said Draco as he quickly stuck the rod into another cauldron full of neutralizer. "Severus isn't kidding around with this stuff, is he?" The rod hissed as he lowered it into the solution.

"He most certainly is not," muttered Samantha. "James, what's next?"

"It's done," said Harry. "The hellebore was the last addition. It's ready to be bottled or whatever we're going to do to it." He watched apprehensively as Draco carefully turned off the fire beneath the cauldron.

"Then I'll go ahead and cast the time-release charm on it," said Samantha as she motioned for the boys to leave the room. "Downstairs with you both. Find something quiet to do so Severus can sleep." They went to Harry's room while Samantha cast the charm. After she was done, she walked quietly back down to her room and started researching the best way to feed their potion to Nagini.

* * *

Severus awoke with a start, blinking in the bright light streaming in through the window. He rubbed his face, feeling the stubble on his cheeks. He leaned up on his elbows and turned to the other side of the bed. He watched as Samantha slept peacefully beside him. He propped his head up on one hand and brushed her cheek softly, reveling in the silkiness of her skin. Samantha sighed as she opened her eyes and grinned at him.

"Good morning, my love," said Severus in a silky voice. She stretched her arms above her head.

"Good morning," answered Samantha. She leaned up and kissed him. "How'd you sleep?"

"Best I've had in a while," said Severus. He got up out of bed, grabbing his wand as he walked out of the room. He returned a few minutes later clean shaven.

"How did the potion turn out?" he asked as he tied his hair back. "Did you and the boys finish it?"

"Yeah, the boys did," said Samantha as she sat up in the bed. "They were still up when I went to sleep. I don't know when Elias left."

"Hmm," said Severus as he smirked at her. He stalked slowly towards the bed. Samantha raised a coquettish eyebrow. "Most likely it was late. They will probably be sleeping in this morning." He knelt on the bed in front of her, crawling towards her. She giggled.

"I imagine you're probably right," said Samantha as he bent down and kissed her. She flicked her wrist at the door, closing it with a soft click before unbuttoning his shirt.

* * *

A little while later, they walked down to the kitchen and opened the door. Draco and Harry were sitting at the table, each with a cup of coffee. They grinned at each other as Samantha and Severus came into the room.

"Good morning," said Severus. "I didn't expect to see you over here so early, Elias." He poured himself a cup of coffee and took a long drink.

"What did you guys do last night after I went to bed?" asked Samantha as she sat across from Harry. They both smirked at her.

"Well, let's see," said Draco, raising a finger to his chin. "We did a little reading down in the library."

"Practiced a little transfiguration and charms," said Harry, mimicking Draco's tone. Draco smiled at him.

"Oh yeah, and we poisoned a snake at a Death Eater meeting," said Draco dismissively. Porcelain shattered on the floor.

"YOU WHAT!" yelled Severus and Samantha at once. Harry flinched while Draco continued to be unconcerned, although his cheeks reddened slightly.

"It was really a bit of genius, even if I do say so myself," said Draco. "James and I were in the library, reading up on the transfiguration of glass."

"We figured that since the potion ate through the floor, we'd need a pretty strong vial to hold it," said Harry quickly. "I reinforced one of the ones we found in the lab. It took me a couple of tries, but we finally got it to hold the potion without melting."

"We filled it with enough potion to kill a few dragons," said Draco. He reached over and plucked an apple from the fruit bowl. He was about to bite into it when Severus grabbed it out of his hand, glaring at him.

"We were just messing around with the transfiguration of it," said Harry, eyeing Severus carefully. "I finally managed to turn the vial into a mouse-like creature."

"It was a pretty nice piece of work," said Draco. He took a sip of coffee. "Then, it just so happened that the Mark started to burn through my arm. James disillusioned himself, and I apparated him to the meeting with our snack for Nagini. One thing led to another, James got our reptilian friend to eat our little present while I played the part of loyal servant."

"I had to walk about a quarter of a mile away from the meeting so that no one would hear me leave," said Harry. "But Elias got us some really important information to pass."

"Let me get this straight," said Severus furiously, his face a pale white, his lips trembling in rage. "You two _idiots_ handled a deadly potion, foolishly cast high-level spells on an _extremely_ volatile solution without proper supervision, and _then_ proceeded to side-apparate to a gathering where the vilest wizard of our day was holding council with his loyal and bloodthirsty followers? You _also_ managed to poison his snake without him noticing and escaped with your lives, along with Draco still remaining a trusted member of the circle?"

"Yeah, that's a good summary," said Draco. "Oh, but don't forget the information we have to pass to the Order."

"Oh, we'll get to that in just a moment," said Samantha through clenched teeth. "We've got some things to discuss before we get there."

"Uh oh," muttered Draco. Harry looked down at the table.

"I cannot believe you two would go and do such a thing!" shouted Severus menacingly. "What in the hell were you thinking?"

"I spent the whole day yesterday researching on how to transfigure the potion without damaging the traits it possessed!" said Samantha shrilly. "How do you know you didn't destroy the poison when you transfigured it?"

"We were really careful," said Harry quietly. "We still had the potion book that the instructions were in. We read for anything that might react badly."

"Yet, neither one of you boys have experience in handling a deadly potion such as Essence du Morte," said Severus angrily. "You both _could have died_ and neither one of us would have known!"

"And then, to make matters worse," said Samantha loudly. "You go off to a damn Death Eater meeting _together_! The whole plan was to have Draco do it on his way to a meeting. It had less risk and would have been harder to pin on Draco had something gone wrong."

"Like if Voldemort had detected Harry," said Severus. "You are not the first to try and apparate someone into a meeting, although I must admit you are the first to do so and live to tell the tale afterwards!" Severus clenched his teeth, turning away from the repentant young faces staring at the table.

"Look, we're sorry," said Harry. "I just didn't want Elias to have to do all it by himself."

"So you went on the suicide mission with him," said Samantha as she rubbed her face. "Instead of having just the Dark Lord's fury to deal with, you raised the ante and made it both of your lives." She sighed. "What are we going to do with you two?"

"Award us an Order of Merlin for assisting in the destruction of the Dark Lord?" said Draco hesitantly. He glanced at Severus's livid face and looked quickly back down at the table. Severus growled and repaired his broken coffee cup. He vanished the spilled coffee and poured himself another cup.

"Get upstairs now, both of you," said Severus angrily. "I'm afraid of doing something I might regret later if you stay in this room any longer."

"Severus, we're really -" began Draco.

"GO! NOW!" yelled Severus, pointing a thin finger towards the door. Harry and Draco made a hasty exit as Severus sat down at the table with his drink. He put the cup down on the tabletop and held his head in his hands.

"I can't believe they thought that was a good idea," said Samantha quietly. "It was so reckless."

"It was so _Gryffindor_," said Severus as he ran his hands through his hair. "So _very_ Gryffindor. I'm shocked Draco went long with it."

"At least something good came out of it," said Samantha. At Severus's incredulous look, she raised her hands in front of her. "I'm not at all condoning what they did. Quite the opposite, in fact. But we can't ignore the fact that the snake has been drugged, and Draco is still a valuable member in the circle."

"I don't like this, Sam," said Severus. "I don't like them risking their lives like that. They were completely on their own."

"But they weren't _alone_, Severus," said Samantha. "That was the whole point of them both going. Harry didn't want Draco to be in this by himself. Just like he needs Draco in order to feel as if he's not by himself. They have us, yes, but they don't have anyone their own age to talk to about things. Ron and Hermione both left Harry, and Draco can't go to his old friends. They need each other."

"Yes, but if they keep this up, one or both of them will end up dead," said Severus harshly. "Neither one of them will handle that well, and I certainly won't be capable of handling it." He placed his hands around his warm coffee mug, looking deep into the brown liquid. Samantha reached across the table and took his hands in her own.

"You need to tell them how much you care for them, Severus," said Samantha softly. He stared at their joined hands, avoiding her gaze. "Severus, they need to know."

"I don't know if I can, Sam," said Severus. He stood from the table, walking over to the mantle. He braced himself against the wall, hanging his head in thought. He spoke in barely above a whisper. "Saying it out loud makes it real. Saying it out loud means that I can lose them at any time. I wouldn't be able to handle that, not after everything that's happened. They're my boys, Sam. I can't lose them now."

"I know, love," said Samantha as she rose to stand behind him. She wrapped her arms around him, and he covered her hands in his own. "But Severus, you owe them the truth as to the real reason you're so upset with them right now." Severus sighed.

"Come with me, Sam," said Severus as he took her hand. She nodded and they climbed the stairs to the third floor. Severus rapped his knuckles against the door.

"Come in," said Harry. Severus turned the handle and pushed the door open. Harry and Draco were on Harry's bed, staring at a chess board. The boys glanced at them, but turned guiltily back to their game, gazing silently at their bickering pieces.

"We would like to talk to both of you," said Samantha softly. Harry lifted the board to the floor and pushed it underneath his bed. Draco pulled his knees up to his chest. Harry sat in front of Draco, his legs dangling off the bed. Neither one of them said a word, avoiding Severus's gaze with pale faces.

Severus cleared his throat. Samantha gave his hand a squeeze.

"I'm sorry that I shouted at you," said Severus gently. "I always hated when my father yelled at me, and then I go and do it to you boys."

"It's not like we didn't deserve it," muttered Draco. He picked some lint off his pants, flicking it to the floor.

"I'm not arguing that," said Severus sternly. "Your actions were reckless and beyond what I will tolerate from you two. We are very disappointed that neither of you talked to us before you went on to poison Nagini."

"We would have been more than happy to help you plan things a bit better," said Samantha. "When dealing with the Dark Lord, it never hurts to be overly cautious."

"But it was the fact that both of you seem to care more about destroying Horcruxes than either of your own lives that has us the most upset," said Severus. "While we're glad that Horcrux number five is on its way down, we will not go after these things at the risk of losing either one of you." He looked at Samantha and then back at the boys, taking a deep breath. "You are all we have left. We are fighting this war for you and your futures."

"You both have a huge influence on the people around you," said Samantha. "You do not live on a deserted island, where you are free to bargain with your lives and take dangerous risks as you see fit. You have each other to think about, you have the rest of the Order who are depending on you, whether they know it or not. You have both of us, who love you as our own kids." Harry and Draco looked up at them, slightly shell-shocked. Severus let go of Samantha's hand and walked over to the edge of the bed. He took each of the boys' faces in his hands, looking between them.

"I will not lose you," whispered Severus fiercely as he ran a thumb over the side of their faces. "I cannot and I will not.Do not _ever_ do _anything_ like that again. Do we understand one another?"

"Yes, sir," said both of them together. Severus nodded hard once as Samantha stepped between the two boys and pulled them into a hug.

"Merlin's beard," said Samantha as she pulled away. She grinned a little at them both. "Scare an old woman to an early grave, you will." They laughed as she ruffled their hair. She frowned a bit, lifting Harry's shaggy hair off the top of his head and holding Draco's blond locks up from his face. She smiled evilly and turned towards Severus.

"I think I've decided on a suitable punishment for their Gryffindor heroism last night, Severus," said Samantha. The boys paled and looked at each other with wide eyes. Severus grinned menacingly.

"Oh?" he said in a casual tone, smirking at the ashen faces staring at him in shock. He ran a hand slowly through his shoulder-length locks. "What have you thought of?"

"Just a little thing off the top of my head," said Samantha as she flicked out her wand. Harry scooted back on the bed away from her as Draco pushed his back up against the headboard. She pointed her wand at the door. "Bathroom. Both of you. Now." Severus chuckled as Harry and Draco edged their way past Samantha's drawn wand and ran from the room. They followed Harry and Draco to the third floor bathroom. Samantha conjured three straight-backed chairs in the middle of the room. Severus pulled one into a corner, turning it around and sitting on it backwards to watch. Samantha pointed at the other two with her wand.

"Sit, please" she said sweetly. Draco and Harry sat gingerly in the chairs. She flicked her wand at them, disarming them and binding them to the chairs.

"Hey!" cried Harry. He began to struggle against his invisible bonds as Samantha approached him with her wand. She took his head in both her hands, forcing him to look at her.

"Stay still, or you will like this less," she said firmly. Harry stopped squirming immediately, his gaze flickering from her wand to her face. She grinned at him. "Relax, James. I'm not going to hurt you." She flicked her wand again, conjuring a black drape. She wrapped it around Harry, fastening it behind his neck. She murmured a spell and ran her wand over the side of Harry's head. His eyes widened as he saw bits of hair fall to the floor.

"No," whispered Draco in horror. He started straining against Samantha's binding charm. "No, Sam, Severus, you can't be serious."

"Oh, I'm dead serious," said Samantha as she continued cutting Harry's hair very close to his scalp. Draco looked at Severus with a pleading look.

"Don't look at me like that, Elias," he said with a chuckle. "You brought this on yourself. Besides, Samantha is really good with this charm. She used to cut my hair all the time. In fact," he ran a hand through his hair again. "I might just get a haircut myself once she's done with you two."

"Best to catch me when I'm in the mood," said Samantha jovially. She tilted Harry face up, making sure the cut was even. She ran her wand over his very short hair once more, muttering a charm. She unclasp the smock and cast a cleansing charm on his neck and clothes. She cancelled the binding charm and handed his wand back to him.

"All done," she said as she pointed to the mirror. Harry got up quickly, running over to the sink. He gazed wide-eyed at his reflection, running a shaking hand over his now crew-cut head. He flicked his wand at his head and tried to lengthen it. Samantha shook her head at him as she covered Draco with the drape.

"Nice try," said Samantha. "But I made sure that you couldn't grow it back magically. You're just going to have to let it grow out the long way." She gazed for a moment at Draco, eyeing his shoulder-length hair. "I think we'll leave yours a little longer, since you actually go out in public far more often than James does." She began her spell. Long strands of platinum white joined the strands of black already on the floor. Draco sneered at Severus's smirking face.

"Hope you're enjoying yourself over there," said Draco sullenly. Severus laughed at his petulant face.

"You'd better believe it," he said as he watched Harry still in front of the mirror, trying to grow his hair back. "However, Sam, I think I want mine left a little longer then theirs."

"You just decide how you want it, love, and I'll do my best," said Samantha as she tilted Draco's face up slightly.

"How come we didn't get to have a say in how long we wanted ours?" asked Harry sourly. Samantha rolled her eyes.

"The offenders do not get to choose their punishment," said Samantha as she ran her wand a final time over Draco's head. "Azkaban would be out of business if the world worked that way. Severus is not being punished, therefore he can choose whatever hairstyle he wants." She removed the smock from Draco and cleaned him up. She released him from his chair. Draco bolted over next to Harry, gaping openmouthed at his very short hair.

"My hair," he moaned. "Oh my God, my hair." He put his face in his hands as Harry put a consoling hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, it's just hair, boys" said Severus as he moved over to the middle of the floor with his chair. He vanished the boys' shorn locks with a flick of his wand and sat tall in his seat. Samantha gave him a questioning look.

"I want it about as long as Lupin's," said Severus. Samantha thought for a moment, then nodded. She murmured her spell, running her wand across his silky black hair. Harry sat on the edge of the tub while Draco stood in mute horror in front of the mirror. She finished with Severus in about ten minutes. She cleaned up while Severus stepped behind Draco to admire his new cut.

"Excellent, Sam, as always," said Severus as he ruffled his short hair. He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Now, Elias, you mentioned something about some sensitive information you acquired at the meeting last night. We'll discuss this over lunch." He held the door for them, smiling slightly as they left the room, still rubbing their shorn heads. He winked at Samantha as she passed by him. He shut off the lights as they made their way down to the kitchen.


	25. Chapter 25

_**A/N: Wow. My sincerest apologies for my atrocious geographical knowledge. The UK is indeed an island. Thank you Mark Darcy for setting me straight. The error has been corrected. Severus would be appalled. I can just hear him now… "Idiot girl!" Alas, the slipperiness of the English language…**_

**_As for the length of Severus's hair…it's about as long as Alan Rickman's in the movies. Maybe a bit shorter. Poor Harry is closer to Ed Harris's look in The Rock, and Draco's is a little shorter than Tom Felton's in PoA (the no-gel look…what were they thinking in SS and CoS?)_**

**_And just for the record, we're looking at approximately 37, 38 chapters for the completion of this tale. I'm still reworking the ending, but S and A will definitely be complete by Halloween. Is that awesome timing or what!_**

**Chapter 25- Revelations**

_The bravest thing you can do when you are not brave is to profess courage and act accordingly. -Corra Harris_

Lunch consisted of cold sandwiches and fruit. Harry sighed as he lifted his glass of pumpkin juice.

"Just think," he said wistfully, "we'd be sitting in the Great Hall right now, watching the bats and pumpkins floating above the tables. And the feast would be tonight."

"Dishes upon dishes of food," said Draco. He closed his eyes. "The smell of cookies would fill the entire lower floors of the castle. We'd walk down the halls to class and our mouths would water."

"Oh, and the caramel apples," moaned Severus as he closed his eyes, leaning his head to rest on the back of his chair. Samantha rolled her eyes and chuckled as she sipped her water. "The house-elves made the best caramel apples. I would eat as many as I could every year."

"Merlin, Severus," said Samantha with a teasing smile. "It's a wonder you don't weigh 400 pounds."

"He walked it all off stalking us at night," said Draco. "The man was everywhere all at once. That was the only good thing about being a prefect. You could never get in trouble for being out after curfew."

"I think I would have liked to be prefect," said Harry thoughtfully. "Although it seems like a lot of work."

"It is, believe me," said Draco. "You have to go to all those bloody meetings with the Heads of House." Severus smirked at him. "They would go on and on and on –"

"That's why I never said anything in those meetings," said Severus. "Our staff meetings were that way as well. McGonagall was the worst. There were always 'discipline issues' with her precious Gryffindors."

"What!" cried Harry. "She would always punish us worse than anyone." He pointed a finger at Draco. "You remember in first year, when she caught you out past curfew?"

"Yes," said Draco sullenly. "She never believed me about you being out too. I was hated for the longest time for losing us forty points." He glared at Severus. "You just _had_ to go and double what she'd already taken, didn't you?"

"Well, forty's not as bad as losing a hundred and fifty in one go," said Harry. Draco's jaw dropped. "Hermione and I were getting rid of the baby dragon that Hagrid had hatched in his hut. It was getting huge."

"I knew it!" cried Draco. "I knew you were up to something!"

"Yeah," said Harry sheepishly. "We were under my Invisibility cloak when she caught you. We gave the dragon to some of Charlie Weasley's friends but we left the cloak on top of the Tower. Filch caught us and took us to McGonagall. She'd also caught Neville out and we lost fifty points a piece."

"How in the world did Hagrid get his hands on a dragon egg?" asked Samantha, aghast. "Those are illegal to import and trade _for a reason_."

"Voldemort had possessed the Defense professor at the time," said Severus. "Little twit named Quirrell. He got Hagrid drunk in order to obtain information in exchange for the egg so that he could steal the Sorcerer's Stone for Voldemort. Thanks to James here, Voldemort was thwarted from gaining a new body at that time. Although," Severus took a drink of his juice, "that heroic escapade lost us the House Cup that year. Ruined a seven-year streak that I had thoroughly enjoyed rubbing in McGonagall's face. And we were ahead of Gryffindor by a ridiculous amount of points."

Harry grinned smugly. "Dumbledore did always know how to ruin a good moment for you boys, didn't he?" The other two glared at him as Harry sat regally in his chair.

"Well, speaking of ruining a good moment," said Samantha as she turned to Draco, "spill it on this intelligence you acquired last night, Elias."

"Right," said Draco, still glaring at Harry. "There's going to be a big attack on Hogsmeade the third Saturday in November."

Severus pushed away from the table and rose from his chair. He paced in front of the fireplace as Draco continued.

"All of the Death Eaters will be there," said Draco somberly. "He thinks that since Severus is out of the Inner Circle, the Order will have no way of knowing he's coming. The Dark Lord is hoping and planning for a massacre."

"So if we show up, the Dark Lord will know he's got another informer in his midst," said Samantha. She looked to Severus. "If we do this, Draco might be unable to return."

Severus nodded in agreement. "Discounting Bella, I'm the only family he has left. But if Draco is convincing enough, Voldemort may be fooled as to Draco's true allegiences."

"But why Hogsmeade?" asked Harry. "Why not the Alley or the Ministry? That would make more of an impact if he were just trying to scare everyone."

"That's what worries me the most about this whole thing," said Severus. "It's too close to Hogwarts for my comfort. If he was able to capture the school, he'd be almost impossible to defeat, even if we were able to convince the Ministry to help us."

"We have no choice, do we?" said Draco softly. "You have to stop him. It's just a matter of my return afterwards." Silence descended on the room as all four of them sat in deep thought.

"We'd lose any chance of getting solid information on other attacks if Elias doesn't go back," said Harry.

"But we run the risk of his being killed if he returns," said Samantha. She sighed. "Severus, how good is his Occlumency?"

"It's very good," said Severus. "But I don't know if it's adequate enough to fool Voldemort on this level yet. I'd have to work with him some more."

"Then let's do that for the next couple of weeks," said Draco firmly. "We need as much information as we can get, especially if the Dark Lord is planning on taking the school in the near future. You can call an Order meeting or whatever and plan details. We need to keep someone on the inside so that we're ready to kill him after we destroy the chest from the Ministry." Severus looked into the blond boy's unwavering eyes and sighed.

"James, get me some blank parchment," said Severus. Harry ran out of the room and returned with a whole roll, several black quills and some ink. Severus unrolled some and cut it from the rest with his wand. He grabbed a quill and drew a quick sketch of the village, labeling the main establishments.

"Draco, where are there going to be teams stationed?" asked Severus. Draco grabbed another quill and placed X's in front of The Three Broomsticks, Honeydukes, Dervish and Banges, and the Post Office. He also marked the stile at the end of the high road and Hogsmeade Station.

"I'm leader of the Station group," said Draco as he pointed to one X. "Aunt Bella has one of the ones in town. Pettigrew is in charge of the one at the end of the road. I'm not sure who has the others. My main objective is to keep any of the villagers from escaping towards the school. So, we'll be fanned out all along here," he indicated on the map. "I'm to keep fairly close to the edge of the village, so I'll actually be a ways from the Station itself."

Severus looked at the map and then up at Samantha, giving her a penetrating look. She shook her head, glancing quickly at Draco. Severus nodded slowly. Samantha bit her bottom lip as Severus exhaled noisily.

"We have to do it, Sam," said Severus. "He will have to be here to answer questions and to help explain the attack from his side."

"If the other two kids come, it'll be a nightmare," said Samantha. Harry frowned at them. Draco looked back and forth between them and Harry.

"What are you talking a--" asked Harry slowly. His eyes widened in comprehension. "You're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?" Severus and Samantha looked at one another, then over to Draco. Draco shook his head vehemently.

"No, they'll never believe me," said Draco firmly. "It'll be a disaster and nothing will get done. We can't. Not yet."

"They already have questions as to where the other information has come from," said Samantha. "Remus has been hammering me for your name ever since you started passing information. If we go to him with this much detail about a major attack, he will demand your name or refuse to accept the intelligence. Like Severus said, you might as well be here to answer any questions they have about the placement of our teams in relation to yours."

"Bloody hell," whispered Harry as he rubbed his eyes underneath his thin-rimmed glasses. "Ron and Hermione are going to have a fit."

"I'm more concerned with Moody myself," muttered Severus. Draco paled slightly at the name.

"Moody?" asked Draco in a small voice. "Who else?"

"McGonagall, Lupin, Hagrid, all the Weasleys" said Severus, Draco's face getting paler and paler at every name. "Your cousin Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and of course, Sam and myself." He gazed at Samantha with a grin. "Unless they kicked us out for that little stunt we pulled back in July and didn't tell us."

"We can't really worry about that now, can we," said Samantha. "We've got to get this to Remus and call a general session to discuss all of this, and soon. With as many Death Eaters as the Dark Lord has, this is going to take everything we've got."

"Then what are we waiting for?" said Harry wearily. "Patronus Remus and Mr. Weasley. Let's get going on this."

Two days later, Harry sat at the head of the kitchen table. His knee bounced nervously as his fingers tapped the edge of the chair. Samantha stood by the stove, sipping a cup of coffee sweetened with ungodly amounts of sugar. Severus paced the floor slowly, stopping every now and then in thought. A thin figure stood motionless and almost invisible in a dark corner behind Harry, cloaked in black with his hood drawn over his head.

As soon as the clock in the kitchen read eight, the floo fired a bright green. Remus stepped out, brushing ash off his cloak. He kissed Samantha on the cheek in greeting.

"Hi Sami," he said. He moved over to the table and ran a hand over the top of Harry's head. "You gonna stay for this meeting, kiddo?"

"Yes, Remus," said Harry stiffly. "I need to be here."

Remus raised his eyebrows. He glared at Severus, who had ceased his march down the length of the room and was standing next to Harry's chair. Severus stared back at him with an impenetrable gaze.

"Lupin," said Severus with a curt nod. Remus responded with a similar nod and took a seat at the table. Samantha rolled her eyes behind his back. The floo flared again, spewing forth Weasleys left and right along with a disheveled Hermione.

"Hi Remus," said Ron, grasping Hermione's hand and clearly ignoring the other occupants of the room. Remus glanced at Harry before responding.

"Hello, Ron, Hermione," said Remus. "How's life at the Burrow?"

"Busy and as chaotic as ever," answered Hermione. She glanced towards Harry, but recoiled slightly at Ron's sneering face. Harry ignored them both, staring down at the top of the table. Ron dragged Hermione down to the opposite end of the table.

The rest of the Order arrived in shifts. By 8:20, everyone was seated and sipping the beverage of their choice, thanks to Molly. Severus leaned down to speak to Harry.

"This is your show, James," whispered Severus. "Sam and I will be here if you need us, but this will be much more meaningful coming from you." Harry nodded as Severus straightened his tall frame. He stepped back to stand next to Samantha behind Harry's chair. Harry took a deep breath and rose slowly from his chair. He cleared his throat to get the room's attention.

"Thank you all for coming," he said clearly. Some of the members gave each other questioning looks, gazing at Severus and Samantha behind Harry. "Let's get started so that you can get home at a decent hour. We called this meeting to discuss intelligence we've received from our source on an attack planned for the third Saturday in November, which is a little less than three weeks from now."

"Do we know who this _source_ is?" asked McGonagall sternly, narrowing her eyes at Harry. "It's certainly not _him_." She glared daggers at Severus, who stared back blankly at her. "And, furthermore Potter, you are sitting in Albus's chair. I don't know if you really --"

Harry growled in frustration. He whacked the back of the wooden chair hard with his wand, transfiguring it into a tall, black marble throne with green velvet cushions. He glowered at McGonagall's hanging jaw and pointed his wand at the chair.

"Are you satisfied now?" said Harry in tightly controlled voice, arching an eyebrow at her. "I don't think Dumbledore would ever sit in something so Slytherin nor would he give a _damn_ that I'm sitting in his chair." McGonagall's face flushed in anger, but she remained completely silent. Harry shook his head slightly and continued. "And to answer your question, no, our source is not Severus," he said as he pulled out the map of Hogsmeade they had made a few days prior, setting it on the table. "Our spy is a very good friend of mine, actually."

"I'll bet he is," muttered Ron loudly. "Bloody coward can't even show his face at an Order meeting."

"Be careful what you wish for, Weasley," said Draco from the corner. He stepped forward and pulled back his hood.

"DAMN IT!" cried Moody as he stood up sharply from the table. "I won't have any more Death Eaters in the Order! We've already had one, and look how _that_ turned out!" He glared contemptuously at Severus, who sneered back and stepped towards him. Samantha put a hand on his arm, holding him back. Severus stopped, but continued to scowl at Moody as the arguing erupted. Harry sighed and sat down heavily in his chair, covering his face with a hand. Draco put a hand on Harry's shoulder, not saying a word. After almost twenty minutes of continuous bickering, Ron's loud voice was heard over the general roar.

"I told them as soon as he contacted Snape that he couldn't be trusted!" shouted Ron. "I have a bad feeling about letting him in."

"We agree," cried the Weasley twins in unison.

"Boys," said Arthur warningly. "Calm down. _Now_." The boys cowed slightly under their father's stern gaze. McGonagall shook her head.

"No, absolutely not," she said. "How can we be sure he's adequately prepared? One small miscalculation, and the Order will be exposed." The room erupted again, doubts and fears of compromise being heard.

"EVERYONE SHUT UP!" yelled Harry as he stood up sharply. Shocked silence descended on the room as they all stared at Harry. They could feel the powerful waves of energy emanating from him as Harry tried to reign in his anger. Even Severus and Samantha took a step back, but Draco didn't move, standing respectfully next to Harry as he glared at the room and spoke once again in a controlled voice. "If you would just let us explain, maybe you would be a little more understanding of the situation."

"We will NEVER understand _his_ point of view," growled Moody, pointing to Draco. "You can't understand the perversity of a Death Eater's mind."

"Then perhaps you will understand it this way," said Harry harshly. "Imagine a young man whose parents have been taken away from him by a madman bent on immortality and conquest of the world. This young man was forced into a situation that he would have never chosen on his own. He's not even through with school yet, for Merlin's sake! He's given a huge burden to carry and finds that he can't do it alone. He goes to the only people he believes can help him. Those people mentor him, giving him the training to do what is necessary for the salvation of other people who want nothing to do with him. They become his friends, closer friends than he's ever had in his entire life. He completes this training, going back into the fight to give those same people who doubt and hate him a chance at a life they've never had."

Several members scoffed at him. Harry shook his head, disgust written all over his face.

"Dumbledore never taught me how to hate wizards and witches who sacrifice their very lives to save mine," said Harry firmly. "He never taught me how to be prejudiced against those who want to help us, just because they were in the so-called "wrong" damn House in school. In fact, Dumbledore always spoke of the opposite. 'We are only as strong as we are united' is what he said after Cedric Diggory was killed. He may have started this group, but you have forgotten _why _this group exists. If we cannot pull together on this, we can be sure that Voldemort's victory will be complete."

Samantha stepped forward, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder and giving him a calming squeeze. He rested his hands on the table.

"If you refuse to understand the young man that Harry just described for you, then you have no way of understanding any of the four of us," said Samantha, waving to Severus and Draco. "Acting on this information could save the lives of many other children from the same fate that we have all lived through. The entire village of Hogsmeade rests in the palms of our hands, to do with as we will. If you wish to smite them from the face of the planet, by all means continue to doubt us."

"You're welcome to leave, if you so choose," said Harry calmly. "One of us might be able to patronus you from the battle if we aren't overwhelmed by Voldemort's entire army of Death Eaters."

"_Entire army_?" asked Remus with wide eyes. "He's bringing all of them?"

"Yes," answered Draco. "All of us have been assigned to a team and we will be stationed at different places in the village. Harry has a detailed map of where the teams will be placed. I'm leading a squad near Hogsmeade Station. Pettigrew will be leading the group at the other end of the high road. I know my aunt Bella will be in charge of a group in Hogsmeade itself, but since I have yet to be promoted to the Inner Circle, I have no details as to which team she has nor the leaders of the other teams." Harry pointed at the parchment spread out on the table.

"That's the map there," said Harry. "We have to figure out how to place ourselves to keep the majority of them from escaping, from killing innocent civilians, and from killing whoever of us decides to fight. We cannot allow them to get to Hogwarts." He looked to Remus, who was stroking his chin in thought. "Remus, does Pettigrew know about all the secret entrances into the castle from Hogsmeade?" Remus froze, his face paling quickly.

"He definitely knows about the one from the Shrieking Shack to the Willow," said Remus. He ran a hand through his grey hair. "I have no clue if he remembers the one from Honeydukes. My guess is that he does." Harry nodded.

"We might need to have people near both as lookouts, just in case," said Harry. "Honeydukes is closed, but that probably won't stop them if they're determined to get in." He paused once more. "Severus, does anybody know about your apparition point?"

"Just Draco," said Severus. "None of the other young Death Eaters were branded before the school year was over, so they have no idea how I left the school. Draco was forbidden to tell them of it."

"I haven't told anyone about that door," said Draco. "But I'm pretty sure we're not aiming to get into the castle with this attack, just weakening the village and sending a message to Scrimgeour. He's given us no indication that we are to attempt to secure the castle. At least, as far as I can tell, he's hasn't. That would take quite a bit more planning on his side." Arthur leaned forward in his chair to get a better look at the map. Harry tapped the parchment, enlarging it. Arthur gave him a small smile and a nod of thanks.

"Your spell work is amazingly improved from the last time I saw you," said Remus, looking strangely between Harry and Severus.

"Well, I haven't been sitting here twiddling my thumbs," said Harry morosely. "When you're selected as the appointed Chosen One, it's best to have a few tricks up your sleeve." He turned his head towards Draco. "Draco, do you know how you're planning on coming in?"

"Apparition," he said leaning over Harry's shoulder to gaze at the map again. "It's a drop and fire."

"What's that?" asked Arthur. He looked at Severus, who ran a thin hand over his face.

"It means that they will apparate directly to where they're supposed to be and they will do it in broad daylight," said Severus bitterly. "They will commence firing on anything that moves --men, woman, children. They will spare nothing and take no captives."

"So you will have to be there before the drop time to secure the village," said Draco. "We haven't been given specific times yet. The Dark Lord might even give us all staggered times in order to produce a wave effect, but that isn't likely. I will contact Severus or Harry as soon as I get my time."

"Staggering would be bad for us," said Harry, shaking his head. "How many Death Eaters do you think will be there?"

"There were forty when I left," said Severus. He glanced at Draco. The boy shook his head.

"He's definitely been recruiting since then," said Draco. "Last head count I did, we were up to at least sixty. Now, granted, some of the new recruits are younger than I am -- last year's fifth years, if I remember correctly. We've got a few Ravenclaws I think, along with more Slytherins."

"We'll have to watch our spell strength, then," said Samantha. "Ravenclaws have notoriously slow reaction times, so powerful spells can really do some damage to kids who can't perform proper shields. We don't want to kill them, just incapacitate and capture."

"Now wait just a minute," said Ron loudly as he stood up from his seat. "We're believing _him_? We're just going to take his word for it? A slimy, Slytherin coward who is just –"

"RONALD WEASLEY, SIT DOWN!" shouted Molly. "You will control yourself, or so help me, I will drag you back to the Burrow to stay with Fleur and Ginny." Ron sat sullenly, looking down at the table. Molly gazed towards Harry's end of the table. "I am so sorry, Draco. Please excuse Ron's _horrid_ behavior." Ron flushed deep red in embarrassment. Severus nodded at her, glancing at Draco's shocked face and giving her a thankful look.

"How can we stretch our numbers to even the odds on them?" asked Harry, staring at the map. Suddenly, Samantha grabbed Severus's sleeve.

"The rooftops," she whispered. "Can we have a couple of teams on the rooftops until we've evened numbers a little?"

"Hm," mused Severus. "We can't have everyone up there, but we could definitely have those with better long-range aim to hit the Death Eaters from above, one team on either side of the road, between the Post Office and Dervish and Banges. We'd be free to hit anyone in black cloaks since Draco's going to be at the train station." He gave Remus an intense look. "Lupin, what do you think?"

Remus looked up at him sharply, giving him a calculating look. He held Severus's gaze before he nodded.

"Let's do it," said Remus. Samantha grinned at him as he addressed the rest of the Order. "Who all wants in on this? We need to get some rough numbers so we can start dividing into teams. If you know of anyone else who would be able to help us, get them in on it quickly and quietly. We don't need the entire Ministry there to give us grief if Draco or Severus are captured."

"The three of us are in," said Severus. "Harry and I will be there in disguise to avoid unwanted attention."

"Hermione and I will be there," said Ron gruffly. "I'm not about to let a _Malfoy_ show me up."

"Whatever, Weasley," muttered Draco. McGonagall sighed loudly.

"I'll be there," she said reluctantly. "I'll also talk to Filius to see if I can get his help as well. We could use another champion dueler out there with us."

"Molly, what do you think?" asked Arthur. "Boys? It's up to you."

"Well, if ickle Ronnikins is going, I think we'd better go along to make sure he doesn't get into any trouble," said Fred with a sly grin. Ron glared at them, his face flushing red again.

"I'm in as well," said Bill. "I'll try and get a hold of Charlie, but he may not be able to get here in time."

"If the boys are going, I'm going too," said Molly. Arthur smiled and gave Remus a nod.

"The Weasleys are in," he said. Remus looked to the corner where the other Aurors were standing.

"We can be there as Ministry reps," said Tonks. "Kingsley can pull some strings as Deputy Head of the division if things get messy with Draco and Severus." Kingsley nodded in agreement.

"What about everyone else?" asked Harry. The rest of the members nodded in agreement or murmured the assent. Harry smiled. "Then let's get to it." Draco took a deep breath and exhaled loudly as Harry and Severus began to hash out details with Remus and Arthur.

_**A/N2: Yes, I just couldn't help but take a shot at the fan fic depiction of Voldemort's throne. Haha...I could have added a serpent trim in green or silver to it, but I restrained myself.**_

_**The layout of Hogsmeade is based on the map from HP Lexicon, which I think is fairly accurate. That site is AMAZING!**_


	26. Chapter 26

_**A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed! You may want to get the Kleenexes for this one...it's a tear-jerker.  
**_

**Chapter 26- Sacrifice**

_Love is everything it's cracked up to be…It really is worth fighting for, bring brave for, risking everything for.- Erica Jong_

Severus and Draco worked tirelessly on Draco's Occlumency as the Order continued to make plans for the defense of Hogsmeade. A week and a half before the attack, Harry received a patronus as he and Severus were playing a game of chess in the library.

_James-  
I just got my team's rendezvous time. I'm to be in Hogsmeade no later than 12 noon on the day of the attack. I'm assuming all squads will drop at noon. I won't be able to come by the 12 before the attack. I keep having visitors drop by unannounced, but they're always gone by 11pm. Give my regards to Mum and Dad. Patronus if anything changes from your end._

_  
Be careful, bro. I'll be by sometime after the attack.  
Elias_

"12 noon," muttered Severus after he had read the correspondence and handed it back to Harry. "The busiest time of the day."

"Did we expect anything else?" said Harry. He folded the letter and tossed it on the table in front of him. He flicked his wand into his hand and shot his stag patronus through the wall. "I told Remus that we should be there no later than 11:15, 11:30." He sat back in his chair, gazing out of the window.

"Will this work, Severus?" asked Harry quietly. "Will we be able to stop them?"

"I don't know the answer to that, James," said Severus. He observed the young man before him carefully, watching Harry tap his fingers nervously on the arm of the chair. "We will do our best. We can do no more than meet them head-on." He saw Samantha come to stand inside the doorway.

"But what if something goes wrong?" said Harry frantically. "What if something happens to Elias? Or to one of us?"

"We will continue to do what we have been doing," said Samantha as she stepped into the room. She walked over to stand in front of Harry. She took his face in her hand, stroking it softly. "We cannot orchestrate the future, love. It will come, no matter how much we plan and prepare." Harry sighed as she dropped her hand.

"James, you must have faith in us and in the rest of the Order," said Severus. "You have to rely on us to do our job, just as we rely on you to do yours. Elias knows what he has to do and he will do it to the best of his ability. I have trained him and taught him everything I know. He will do well. And so will you."

Harry stood and ambled over to the window. He leaned his head against the cool glass, looking out over the backyard of the house. "Aren't either of you scared?"

"Of course," said Severus gently. "We'd be fools if we weren't. Arrogant confidence and believing yourself invincible gets you killed." He sighed at Harry's tense frame. "I have forgotten what it's like to be thrust into battle at such a young age. You must forgive an old man and his cynicism." Harry chuckled morosely.

"I grew up a long time ago," said Harry softly. "I don't know what it's like to be a kid."

"Yet, you are still a child," said Samantha softly. Severus rose silently and stood behind Harry. He raised his hands, putting them on Harry's shoulders.

"You can do this, Harry," whispered Severus. "Find courage within yourself, in who you _really_ are. You are not the Chosen One, you are not the Boy-Who-Lived. You're Harry, just Harry. Find strength in understanding who you are and where you come from. Do that, and you will be stronger than you ever thought you could be. We'll be right there beside you."

Severus squeezed his shoulders gently and released him. Harry dropped his gaze to the floor and walked towards the door.

"I think I'm going to go lie down for a bit," said Harry. He left without waiting for a response. Severus sat back down and traced his lips with a pale finger.

"He's so frightened," said Samantha softly as she sat across from Severus. "He won't be able to sleep well until this is over."

"That makes two of us," said Severus. "He'll be fine once we're there, I think. His spell casting is phenomenal. Lupin and I specifically put him in charge of a rooftop team so that I could keep an eye on him from the other."

Samantha nodded. She twirled her engagement ring around her finger, deep in thought. Severus took her hands in his, brushing the backs with his thumbs.

"I love you," said Severus as he gazed into her eyes. She smiled at him.

"I love you too, Severus," said Samantha.

* * *

Samantha lie in bed awake on the morning of the attack, listening to the thunder rumble outside the window, drowning out the sound of Severus's heartbeat next to her ear. She felt him shift his weight slightly and looked up at his face. He was staring up at the ceiling. She sighed softly and sat up, running a hand through her messy hair. She brought her knees up to sit cross-legged on the bed. 

"What time is it?" asked Severus as he ran a hand down her back. Samantha looked at the clock on the wall.

"Eight," said Samantha. She got up and slipped on her dressing robe over her bedclothes, stretching a little. She stumbled slowly down the stairs to the kitchen. Harry was already at the table, drinking his coffee.

"Morning," he said as she tapped the kettle to heat some water. She walked over and placed a kiss on his head.

"Morning, love," she said as she sat across from him. She unrolled the paper that had arrived earlier and began to scan the front page. Severus came in a few minutes later.

"Good morning, James," he said. He poured his cup of coffee and drank it standing by the stove. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," said Harry as he swirled the last mouthful of coffee around in his cup. "The rain's going to make this a lot of fun."

Severus shrugged. "Just like a Quidditch match in the early spring. Visibility won't be optimal. The chill might get to us a bit, but not until after the adrenaline has worn off. If things go well, we'll be back here well before that happens."

Harry nodded and drank the last of his coffee. Samantha stood and started to fix some breakfast.

"Are you hungry, James?" she asked as Severus handed her some eggs and a bit of bacon. Harry shook his head.

"No thanks," he said. He pulled the _Prophet_ towards him and began to read the paper. Severus watched him for a few minutes. Harry's eyes never moved nor did he turn the page. Severus frowned slightly as he turned to help Samantha cook.

The three of them left the 12 at 11:20, dressed in their customary black attire. They walked quickly in the rain, the drops hitting the hilts of Severus and Harry's daggers resting in their sheaths. They reached the grove and Severus touched his wand to his forehead as Harry did the same, casting their glamours.

"Everyone know where we're apparating to?" asked Severus. Harry and Samantha nodded. "Then let's go."

Three barely audible pops later, the three of them appeared near the Shrieking Shack. Remus and Arthur waved them over to the group that had already arrived, huddling together to ward off the cold. All the Weasleys, minus Charlie who was stuck overseas, stood close together, along with Hermione. Tonks stood beside Kingsley and Moody, looking once again over the parchment map that Harry had given them. Flitwick and McGonagall stood a little ways away with everyone else, watching the edge of the village.

"That's everyone," said Remus. "Severus and Harry's teams, go ahead and mount your brooms. Everyone else go in groups of twos and threes into town. Stagger your times, please. At 11:40, everyone disillusion yourselves and move into position. Move out, people."

Severus placed an arm around Harry's shoulder.

"Be careful, James," said Severus quietly. "Call my bracelet or Sam's if you get into trouble." He gave Harry a one-armed hug. "See you afterwards." Harry took a deep breath and summoned his broom.

"Let's do this," he said firmly. He climbed aboard his Firebolt and disillusioned himself. The rest of his team did the same and took off to the Post Office. Severus turned quickly to Samantha.

"I love you, Sam," said Severus. He kissed her deeply, holding her face in his hands. She grabbed his wrists tightly.

"I love you," whispered Samantha. "Please be careful. Watch out for our boys." She kissed him again quickly. "Now go, love. Your team's waiting." She watched him mount his Nimbus and fade into nothingness. The rest of his team disillusioned themselves as they took off behind him. Remus put his arm around her.

"They'll be alright, Sami," he said softly. She lifted her fingers to her lips, staring at where Severus had just stood. Remus lifted her left hand, fingering the beautiful solitaire diamond. He gave her a shocked look.

"Oh yeah," said Samantha with a grin as she brushed her wet hair back from her face. "Guess we haven't talked in a while."

"He proposed?" whispered Remus in shock. He gazed back down at the ring. "Samantha, it's gorgeous."

"It was his mother's ring," said Samantha softly. "He asked me the day of Harry's birthday."

Remus gave her a small smile and sighed as he let go of her hand.

"Well, congratulations, Sami," he said. He glared towards town. "He'd better take care of you or I'll rip him apart."

Samantha chuckled as they began walking towards Hogsmeade. "If anything ever happened, you'd have to get in line. I'm sure Draco and Harry would beat you to it." She smiled softly as they neared The Three Broomsticks. Remus gave her a bemused look.

"You care a lot about those boys, don't you?" asked Remus. Samantha grinned at him.

"They're our entire existence," said Samantha.

"Good," said Remus. Samantha tilted her head, giving him a questioning look. Remus shrugged. "Someone needs to be there for them, to be a constant presence. Those two have lost everything they have. It's good that you and Severus will be there to take care of them." He glanced quickly at his watch. "It's 11:40, Sami. Let's go." They walked quickly to the opposite side of the Post Office and hit themselves with a Disillusionment charm. Remus watched back towards the station while Samantha crept to the next building and watched the end of the road for black cloaks. After about ten minutes, she glanced back at Remus's blue outline and brought her wrist to her mouth.

"Gabriel," she said. The bracelet warmed immediately.

"Sam, what's wrong?" said Severus. She smiled as she looked towards the roof.

"Nothing, love, I'm fine," she said. "Just checking to make sure you're ready up there."

"Yes, we're ready," said Severus. "I can just barely see James from here."

"Good," said Samantha softly. "Bon courage, mon amour."

"Je t'aime," said Severus. Her bracelet cooled quickly. At 11:55, all the stores closed and locked their doors, pulling in the few shoppers that were out. The wind blew hard down the road, lifting up dust as thunder sounded above their heads. Heavy raindrops hit the ground before the air exploded in loud cracks. Forty Death Eaters appeared on the road and shouted a battle cry. Their cries fell silent as they looked around in confusion.

"Where is everyone?" said Bellatrix loudly as she lifted her mask. She peered into the window of a nearby store and was hit from behind with a stunner.

"NOW!" shouted Remus. Samantha fired off several stunners as she tried to avoid the spells cast from the roof. The minutes passed in a blaze of light. She saw Hestia's Disillusionment charm flicker as the sky opened up, drenching everything in a freezing rain. Samantha's eyes bulged as she saw Hestia fall to the ground in a heap, the green light fading rapidly from her body.

"Damn," whispered Samantha as she continued to volley curses at the Death Eaters nearest her. More and more of the Order members' charms flickered, causing them to dodge _Avadas_ as they scrambled for cover.

"RECAST YOUR CHARMS, IF YOU CAN!" shouted Samantha. She glanced quickly above her and saw, to her relief, that none of the rooftop snipers were visible. She moved into the road, and began to attack the main core of white masks. Hours passed as the spells flew with deadly speed, the Death Eaters becoming enraged at not being able to see very many of their opponents. She caught a glimpse of red hair next to a mess of curly brown as she moved back into an alleyway to catch her breath. She heard a choked scream and a man cackled in amusement. The next voice she heard was Ron's.

"I'LL KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD!" he screamed. Samantha looked back around the edge of the building and saw a tall form jump down from a rooftop. The figure made its way carefully towards where Hermione lay on the ground surrounded by a growing pool of crimson as Ron strode forward towards the Death Eater.

"RON, NO!" screamed an invisible Harry. The Death Eater threw back his head and laughed at Ron.

"Then bring it, Weasley," said the deep voice. They began to trade spells, the spells flashing in tandem with the lightning from the storm. The figure reached Hermione as Samantha tried to get to Ron.

"Professor?" whispered Hermione as she gripped his hand. Her breathing was labored and wheezing as Severus surveyed the damage to her small frame in shock.

"Don't talk," he said softly. "I'll try and heal you the best I can until we can get you to St. Mungo's." He fired a fierce stunner at an approaching Death Eater. She squeezed his hand tightly as she coughed violently. She gasped to catch her breath.

"I'm so sorry, Professor," she said. "I'm so - so sorry."

"No, don't start that," said Severus fiercely as he tried to stem the blood that was pouring out of her, the liquid mixing with the mud on the road. "Just stay with me, Hermione."

"Tell Harry," she gasped. "So -- sorry." She gasped a couple of times before her body became perfect still, her eyes glazing over.

"Damn it, Hermione!" yelled Severus. Ron looked back to where Hermione lay unmoving. His eyes lit up with fury as he turned back to face the Death Eater who had cast the curse.

"NO!" he shouted. He screamed loudly at the Death Eater as he fired off slicing hexes as quick as he could. The Death Eater's blood sprayed around him, splattering his face with red dots. Samantha ran over to try and help him. She raised her wand just as Ron's face froze in shock as he was hit with a Killing curse and fell heavily to the ground. The Death Eater who cast it stumbled and fell also, unconscious from the blood loss due to Ron's hexes. Time seemed to stop as Samantha stared horrified at Ron's body lying in the mud. A spell flew past her eyes, shaking her from her thoughts. She shot off spells in every direction, taking down about five Death Eaters in succession as the town clock struck four o'clock.

Just as suddenly as they appeared, every single person in a black cloak vanished with a loud pop. The fallen Death Eaters also disappeared in a green light, being portkeyed out of the village. Molly's Disillusionment charm disappeared to reveal her struggling in a pair of invisible arms, sobbing.

"Not my baby! Not my baby!" she screamed. She yanked her body free and ran over to Ron. She fell to the ground and picked up his limp body in her arms, wailing into the rain as she rocked back and forth. She cradled him to her chest, weeping and brushing his wet hair back from his face. Harry reappeared next to her, lowering his wand from his head. He ran a hand over his short hair, staring back and forth between Molly holding Ron and where Hermione lay. He began to shake his head as Severus quickly cleaned his hands with a muttered spell and walked over to him.

"This isn't happening," whispered Harry as Severus wrapped his arms around his waist from behind. "No." He shook his head, trying to pull away from Severus, but Severus held him tight. "They can't be – they – no!" His breathing hitched as a sob escaped his throat as he screamed. "NO!"

He tried to pull away from Severus again, twisting and turning in Severus's arms. Severus was torn between letting him go and restraining him, but he held Harry around his chest.

"James, I'm sorry," said Severus. "There's nothing we can do." Harry stopped struggling and slowly slid out of Severus's grasp to the ground, his knees sinking in the mud. Severus knelt beside him and pulled Harry to his chest. Harry clung to him, sobbing. Severus held Harry tightly as he closed his eyes, tears mixing with the rain on his cheeks as he rested his chin on Harry's head. He heard loud, excited voices coming from down the road.

"We really showed them," said Fred excitedly. "I'll have to tell Ginny I used her Bat-Bogey hex on one of them." George gave him a high five and they looked down the road. Their faces fell immediately as they both sprinted over to where their mother was sobbing.

"NO!" yelled Fred as he fell to the ground next to Molly. George was still as a statue, his face ashen as Arthur walked up slowly behind them. He knelt down and tried to take Ron from Molly's embrace.

"Let him go, Molly," he said shakily. "You've got to let him go." He gently took Ron from her reluctant arms. He stared for a moment at his son before he broke into tears. He kissed Ron's forehead and disapparated.

"My baby, my baby," Molly muttered over and over again. Fred and George helped her off the ground and they all disapparated. Remus knelt down next to Hermione, sniffing slightly. He lifted her left hand, gazing at the ring on her fourth finger. He looked up at Samantha, who had moved over near him.

"He gave her a promise ring," he said quietly. She shook her head as tears ran down her face. Remus sighed shakily and closed Hermione's eyes. He took off his cloak and covered her body, lifting her gently off the ground. "I'll take her to the Burrow, then go and find the Grangers." Samantha nodded slowly as Remus turned and disappeared into thin air. Kingsley walked slowly over to Severus. He knelt down and placed a hand on Harry's back as he spoke to Severus.

"We lost Hestia," he said. Severus cursed under his breath. "Moody got hit with a nasty slicing hex, but he'll be fine. I sent him on to St. Mungo's with Tonks. No other major injuries to report. We didn't catch any Death Eaters since all of the ones we captured had those hidden portkeys." Severus nodded slightly as Harry continued to shake with sobs. Kingsley looked down at Harry and shook his head. "You'd best get out of here before it gets crowded. We had all of the floos disabled this morning, but we promised to have them back up when everything was all clear." Severus nodded.

"Thank you, Kingsley," said Severus shakily. "Tell everyone else they can go home. I'll call a meeting in a few weeks after I talk to Draco." Kingsley nodded and patted Harry on his back as he stood back up, walking towards the somber crowd of Phoenixers who stood back, watching. McGonagall was staring at Severus and Harry, tears streaming down her face.

"Come on, James," said Severus as Samantha walked over to stand beside him. "Let's go home." He stood and pulled Harry up as Samantha grabbed Harry's other arm. They disapparated together and reappeared in Grimmauld Square, where the rain was still pouring down. Harry walked slowly ahead of Severus and Samantha, his head hung low. Severus held Samantha's hand as they walked to the 12. Harry pushed open the front door and stumbled down the darkened hallway to the drawing room. The other two followed him and watched as he stopped in the middle of the room. Harry fell to his knees, his face in his hands. Tears rolled down Samantha's cheeks as she ran over to him and took him in her arms, rocking him back and forth.

"Let it all out, baby," she whispered. She rested her cheek on his head as Harry cried gut-wrenchingly against her. Severus sat down beside her and pulled them both into his arms, running his hand up and down Harry's back. They sat like that for an hour, Harry's ragged breathing the only sound heard in the room. Eventually, his breathing slowed and evened out, broken every now and then by a hiccup. Samantha looked down at him and leaned back against Severus.

"He's asleep," she whispered. Severus gave her a final squeeze and let go. He gently took Harry into his arms and lifted him off the floor. Samantha stood and followed them out of the room. Severus took him to Samantha's room and laid him gently on the bed. He removed Harry's muddy shoes and his glasses. Severus gently touched his wand Harry's forehead, canceling his glamour and pulled up the covers on the bed. He brushed his hand over Harry's forehead, murmuring a weak Calming spell. Harry sighed unsteadily and moved into the touch, craving it even in his sleep. Samantha knelt beside the bed, taking Harry's freezing cold hand in hers. She put her head down on the bed as her chest began to shake in silent sobs. Severus sat against the bedside table, his arm resting on his raised knee, and gazed out the window.

The room darkened slowly around them as the sun sank lower and disappeared, bringing night behind it. About midnight, Harry began to twist and turn, muttering incoherently. Samantha's head snapped up. She stood and brushed his cheek as he broke out in a cold sweat.

"No, no," mumbled Harry. He started violently, tangling himself in the bedcovers. Samantha shook his shoulder softly to wake him up, but Harry pulled away from her. He began to scream. "NO! NO! DON'T TAKE THEM FROM ME! NO!"

Severus jumped awake. Samantha shook Harry harder.

"James, wake up!" said Samantha loudly. "It's just a nightmare, love. Wake up!"

Harry continued to thrash in the bed, unable to hear Samantha. She turned to Severus, silently begging him to do something. Severus drew his wand, touching it carefully to Harry's head. Immediately, Harry woke up. His eyes flicked back and forth, searching. He sighed in relief as he spotted Severus and Samantha next to the bed. He reached out and grabbed Samantha's hand, holding it tightly before his eyes slid shut again.

"Mum, Dad, you're okay," mumbled Harry as a single tear ran down the side of his face. Severus stiffened and froze where he was, his wand poised in midair. Samantha choked back a sob as she brushed Harry's cheek with her hand, softly murmuring a sleeping spell that her mother had used on her when she was little. Harry fell into a deep sleep. She gave his hand a final squeeze, releasing it as she turned towards the door.

"Sam," hissed Severus. "Did you hear what he just said?"

"Yes," whispered Samantha. "My ears are just as good as yours are, Severus." She walked tiredly across the hall into the other bedroom. She slipped off her dirty shoes by the door as Severus gripped the doorframe.

"Sam!" whispered Severus anxiously. She turned around and kissed him briefly.

"Severus, get a grip," she said softly. She pulled her jumper over her head and slipped off her muddy trousers as Severus walked in and shut the door. She tossed her clothes to an empty corner of the room and grabbed her bedclothes from off the floor. She threw them on and jumped quickly into bed, pulling the covers over her to ward off the chill. Severus undressed slowly and slipped into bed beside her. He reached for her and pulled her to his side.

"I don't know if I can do this, Sam," said Severus. He twisted his fingers gently in her hair. "I am _not_ his father, nor am I Draco's." He paused for a moment, causing Samantha to look up at him. He spoke in barely above a whisper. "How am I supposed to be something that I'm not?"

"But you are, Severus," said Samantha. "You have _become_ their father, whether you know it or not. You encourage them when they do well. You punish them when they disobey, showing them where they went wrong and how to correct it. You protect them from those who would do them harm. You guide and instruct them on how to be honorable men in this world of chaos and war. You _love_ them, Severus. And right now, they need that in order to continue to deal with what is happening to them."

"Yes, but how will _I_ deal with this?" asked Severus wearily. Samantha leaned up and kissed him deeply.

"_We_ will deal with this _together_, love," she said softly against his lips. She kissed him again briefly before lying back down next to him. "But for now, I want to sleep and pretend that everything went fine today." Severus sighed softly as he tightened his arms around her.

"Me too," he whispered into her hair as he placed a kiss on her head. He closed his eyes and slept.


	27. Chapter 27

_**A/N: (peaks out from behind a desk) Do you all hate me now? My condolences to those of you hoping for a reunited Golden Trio. Things will be bleak for a time…but I promise things will get better soon!**_

**Chapter 27- Saying Goodbye**

_It requires more courage to suffer than to die.- Napoleon Bonaparte_

The next day dawned bright and sunny, a bitter mockery of the mood permeating the 12. Severus and Samantha sat at the kitchen table, eating some toast and fruit. Harry stood rigidly at the window, slowly sipping a cup of coffee, dressed in some of Draco's black trousers and an open grey button-down over a white t-shirt.

"Are you sure you're not hungry, James?" asked Samantha. Harry shook his head, still staring out of the window. She sighed quietly and leaned back in her chair. Severus stood with his coffee in hand.

"I'm going to the library to read for a while," he said softly. His shoes echoed quietly as he walked out of the room and down the hall. Samantha jumped when a shining white bear shot through the wall towards her. She touched her wand to it and unrolled the parchment that shot out. She read it silently as Harry continued to look out the window.

"Who is it from, Mum?" asked Harry. Samantha refolded the parchment and set it on the table.

"Molly," she said. "The funerals will be at the Burrow on Tuesday at 10." Harry took a sip of coffee.

"Okay," said Harry. They both turned at the sound of the front door opening. Draco walked into the room and stopped abruptly at the sight of Harry and Samantha's drawn faces. Samantha jumped up immediately and hugged him tightly.

"Hi," he said hesitantly when Samantha pulled away, brushing tears from her eyes. "Uh, is this a bad time? I can come back later and report if you want." Harry shook his head.

"No, we can do it now," he said as he sat down at the table. Severus appeared in the doorway and sighed in relief. He walked over and ruffled Draco's hair, resting a thin hand on Draco's neck while Samantha sniffed loudly. Severus steered him the seat across from Harry, taking the head seat for himself. Samantha started moving around the kitchen.

"Are you hungry, love?" she asked Draco. "I can fix you some breakfast if you want.

"Just some toast, if it's not too much trouble," said Draco. "I didn't eat yet, but I'm not all that hungry this morning." Samantha toasted some bread and went to the cupboard to get some butter and jam, setting them in front of Draco with a knife. She ran her hand through his hair as he buttered and spread some of the strawberry jam on his bread. Harry levitated the coffee pot off the stove and moved it to the table. He poured himself another cup. They sat silently as Draco ate.

"We lost a few of the new recruits to injuries," said Draco as he finished his first piece of toast. "Most of the Death Eaters that returned from town were pretty banged up. A few of them were cut to bits from Slicing hexes."

"Hm," said Severus as he frowned. "We usually don't use such lethal hexes in battle. Maybe they got caught in the crossfire."

"Yeah," said Harry. "The only slicing hexes I saw from Order members were from Ron when –" he looked down and cleared his throat. "From Ron when Hermione died." Draco choked on his toast. He quickly took a drink of Harry's coffee and swallowed thickly.

"What?" gasped Draco. He looked to Samantha and Severus, who nodded. He pushed his plate away and sat in completely shock, the blood draining from his face.

"We lost Ron, too," said Harry softly. Draco put his head in his hands, leaning his elbows on his knees.

"It is not your fault, Draco," said Severus firmly. Draco shook his head back and forth. Severus stood and walked around the table. He pulled Draco's chair away from the table and spun it towards him. Kneeling down, he lifted Draco's head from his hands, looking directly into his steel-grey eyes.

"_This is not your fault_, do you understand me?" said Severus softly. "You are not God. You did your best."

"But it wasn't enough," whispered Draco. "What good does it do for me to do any of this if people still die anyway?"

"Elias, think of how many people would have died had we not known anything?" said Samantha. "How could you have prevented what happened in town? All three of us were right there and couldn't do anything to stop it, no matter how hard we tried."

Severus wrapped a hand around the back of his neck and squeezed gently. "You must not blame yourself. You did _nothing_ wrong. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise." Draco nodded slowly as Severus lowered his hand. Severus looked to the table as he stood back up and lifted the folded piece of parchment.

"The funerals are Tuesday," said Harry as Severus flicked open the note and read. He closed it and placed it back on the table, sighing.

"What did Voldemort say in the meeting after the battle?" asked Severus.

"Well, obviously he was furious over no one being in town," said Draco. "Aunt Bella told him that when she arrived, no one was out on the streets." Harry smirked slightly.

"I hit her with a stunner as soon as she turned around," he said. "She was the first one down." Draco smiled at him.

"Nice," said Draco. He looked back to Severus. "The Dark Lord went into a fury, walking around the circle, doing his Legilimency scan. He got to me, but I kept him from seeing anything important. He held it longer on Crabbe and Goyle before he _Crucioed_ them. Well, _Crucioed_ them more than everyone else, that is. From what I gather from the Dark Lord's rantings afterward, they were in the Hog's Head drunk a couple of days before the attack and let some details slip. "

"Their fathers had the same problem with keeping their mouths shut," said Severus. "But in this case, we are _extremely_ fortunate that it works to our advantage." Draco sighed.

"That's everything that happened after we left," he said tiredly. Harry nodded.

"Good job, bro," he said. "Are you free to hang out here for a bit?" Draco smiled a little.

"Yeah, I've got all day," he said as he got up and followed Harry towards the door. He pulled Harry's shirt away from his body and raised an eyebrow. "Thieving clothes, are we?"

"Uh," said Harry, looking down at his clothes. Draco laughed at him.

"You can have whatever you want," said Draco. "In fact, we can go and sort through all that stuff. What I don't need should fit you." The boys left the room. Samantha and Severus heard Harry's laughter travel down the stairwell.

"I'm glad he came by," said Severus softly. "It'll be good for both of them in dealing with this." Samantha nodded and sipped her tea.

"I'm just glad the Dark Lord doesn't suspect Draco of anything," she said. "That would have been a nightmare, having to deal with that on top of everything else."

"Indeed," said Severus. They sat in comfortable silence, every now and then hearing the boys laugh loudly upstairs.

* * *

Draco came back to the 12 on Tuesday morning, dressed in black dress robes. Harry met him at the door in similar attire as Severus and Samantha were coming down the stairs.

"Good morning, boys," said Samantha. She kissed them both on the cheek. "Glamours on, if you please, gentlemen." Three wands rose in sync. Severus and Harry's hair and eyes lightened, while Draco's darkened. Samantha looked between them and smiled sadly.

"All of you are much more handsome as your normal selves," she said. Severus opened the door and waved them out.

"We do what is necessary, my dear Samantha," said Severus. They made their way quickly to the park. Harry offered Draco his arm and the four of them disapparated to the Burrow. They arrived half a mile from the house and walked slowly down the road. As they got nearer, they could see Molly standing at the door, looking strange dressed in all black, while Arthur shook Remus's hand and pointed him to the garden. He saw the four of them and walked out to meet them, taking Severus's proffered hand.

"I'm glad you all could make it," said Arthur as he released Severus's hand. Samantha gave him a hug.

"Wouldn't miss it, Arthur," she said softly as she pulled away. Harry held out his hand but Arthur grabbed him and hugged him tightly.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Weasley," said Harry shakily. Arthur sniffed loudly, pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket. He nodded towards Molly as he wiped his nose.

"You'd better go say hello," said Arthur with a watery smile. "She's been worried sick about you. I know Ginny wants to see you. She should be inside." Harry nodded and walked slowly towards Molly. She ran out to Harry, hugging him and sobbing. Arthur turned to Draco, who hung his head.

"I'm so incredibly sorry, sir," said Draco softly. Arthur put a hand on his shoulder, causing Draco to look up at him hesitantly.

"You just keep doing what you're doing," said Arthur firmly. "I know you never got on with Ron or Hermione." Draco looked to the ground. "But, I also know you never meant for them to be hurt. The only thing you could do wrong now would be to quit. They would never forgive you if you stopped fighting." He turned away and walked towards the garden. Severus, Samantha and Draco followed him, sitting near the back.

A few minutes later, they saw Harry walk to the front, holding Ginny's hand. Samantha was sitting quietly when a younger woman walked up to her. She wore her dark brown hair loose, the strands stirring gently in the breeze.

"Sam?" she said. Samantha looked up and got to her feet quickly.

"Rachel?" whispered Samantha. She wrapped her arms around the young woman tightly. "What in the world are you doing here?"

"Remus told me about the attack," said Rachel softly. "I was helping to notify the store owners before you guys got there with Hestia." She looked behind Samantha to where Severus and Draco were eyeing her carefully. "You might want to introduce me before your friends call the Ministry on me." Samantha grinned.

"Rachel, this is my fiancée," said Samantha. Rachel smirked and shook Severus's hand as Samantha turned to Severus. "This is my cousin, Rachel Palmer."

"If this is who I think it is, it's about bloody time," said Rachel. Severus smiled at her.

"That's what I thought when I asked her," he said. Draco stood up, looking strangely at Rachel as he shook her hand.

"I think I've seen you before," he said slowly. "I bought some robes in a shop off the high road last summer. I think you were working that day."

"Yeah," answered Rachel, smiling. "Yeah, I remember you now. Lancaster, wasn't it?"

Draco smiled sadly at her. "Yes, but I met you before then." He whispered something in her ear. Her eyes widened. She looked at Draco with awe and admiration as he met her gaze. She motioned to the empty seat beside him, questioningly. He waved his hand, retaking his seat and speaking to her quietly. Samantha leaned over to Severus.

"She's the daughter of our cousin Camille," she said quietly. "She's the same age as Elias and James, but she grew up in France. Camille's husband Elliott works in the Wizengamot Offices in the French Ministry. I spend most Christmases with my Aunt Janice and Uncle Frank, so Camille and Elliott would come and visit for a few days with Rachel. She sent me an owl back in April saying that since she was graduating early from Beauxbatons, Aunt Janice offered her a job working at Uncle Frank's shop in Hogsmeade as a robe designer. Apparently, she took it and is living there now. I'm sure Camille and Elliott are worrying themselves into an early grave over her being here and being on her own, so to speak, but apparently Remus is looking out for her." Severus nodded and glanced at the young woman quickly.

Everyone quieted when the elderly wizard stepped up to the podium where a few months before he married Bill and Fleur. He was flanked by two coffins as he began the ceremony. The Grangers sat stoically in the front row alongside Molly and Arthur. Bill and Fleur were next to Arthur, along with the twins, Harry and Ginny. Charlie sat next to Ginny, an arm around her shaking shoulders.

The service was short and simple. After the ceremony, Bill stood up, along with Fred, George and Charlie. They each pointed their wands at the two coffins, levitating them off the ground and proceeding to the grove near the makeshift Quidditch pitch. The crowd followed solemnly behind the families. The boys laid the coffins gently into two large holes that had been dug earlier, whispering the spell to cover them with earth. The mourners filed by the families, expressing their condolences. Samantha and Severus shook hands with the Weasleys and the Grangers, waiting for Harry and Draco as the assembly thinned. Draco shook hands with Harry after giving Ginny a hug. Harry said something to him, motioning over to Severus. Draco nodded and came back over to where they were standing.

"He's going to stay for a while," said Draco quietly. "Said Ginny asked him to stay for lunch." Severus looked back at Harry and nodded. He flashed his wrist at him, and Harry did the same, nodding his head. Harry put his arm around Ginny and walked back toward the house.

"Come on," said Severus. "Let's go home." He grasped Samantha's hand as they started down the road to get past the protective wards. Draco said goodbye to Rachel and hurried to meet up with them.

"I'm going back to the apartment," said Draco as they were about to apparate. "I've been gone a lot the past few days. If anyone's come by, there'll be awkward questions."

"Drop by if you need anything," said Severus quietly. "I know James will want to see you." Draco gave him a grin.

"I will, Da-Severus" said Draco. He shook his head. "Almost called you 'Dad' there for a second." He grinned at Severus's slightly pale face as he gave Samantha a kiss on the cheek.

"Take care of yourself, love," she said as he pulled away. She brushed his hair back gently as she cradled his face in her hand. "Call us if you need us."

"I will, Mum," said Draco softly. He turned and disapparated with a snap of his cloak. Severus rubbed his hands over his face.

"It's going to take me a while to get used to this being-a-parental-figure thing," he muttered. Samantha smiled. She turned and disapparated to the park. Severus appeared next to her and they walked back to the house. Severus opened the door, ushering Samantha inside. He felt the hair stand up on the back of his neck. He turned around quickly, looking up and down the street but he didn't see anything. He shook his head as he walked into the house and shut the door. Samantha looked at him from the middle of the staircase.

"Are you hungry?" she asked. "I can fix you something after I change clothes if you want." Severus shook his head.

"No, I'm not hungry," he said. He removed his heavy cloak, hanging it on the rack near the door. He walked down the hall into the library and sat heavily in the window chair, as they had taken to calling it. He closed his eyes, rubbing his temples with his fingers and resting his elbows on the arm of the chair.

_Albus, what do I do now_? thought Severus. He dropped his hands and laid his head on the back of the chair, his eyes still closed.

He could still see Hermione lying on the ground, soaked in her own blood. The red liquid ran so fast over his hands, which were powerless to stop it from flowing. He shuddered, trying to shake the vision from his mind. Instead of disappearing, the vision shifted. He saw Draco convulsing under the _Crucio_ curse at the meeting where Narcissa had been killed, the look in his eyes when Voldemort told him that Severus had sworn the Vow. His head filled with the boy's screams of terror and pain. Severus's chest tightened as the vision shifted one last time. Harry lay on the ground, his face staring blankly up at him, clearly dead. Severus looked away only to see Draco reaching up for him, his other hand covered in blood pouring from his chest. He spun away from them to see Samantha fall to the ground. Then he heard the evil laughter that had always made his skin crawl. Red eyes bore down on him, slanted slightly in maniacal laughter…

Severus jumped awake, drawing his wand and panting.

"Severus?" said a soft voice. Severus turned and saw Samantha standing in the doorway. She frowned at him. "Are you okay?" Severus blew out a breath, running a hand through his hair.

"Yes," he said as he leaned back in the chair. "Yes, I'm fine. Just a nightmare." He glanced at the window and was shocked to see the stars coming out in the twilight. "How long was I asleep? What time is it?"

"It's five," said Samantha. "I was just about to call you for –" She paused as her bracelet glowed a deep red. "James," she said into her wrist.

"Hi Mum," said Harry's voice. "Just wanted to let you know I'm on my way home."

"Alright, James," she said. "We'll see you in a bit." She lowered her hand. "As I was saying, I was just about to see if you wanted some supper. You missed lunch and I thought you might be –" She frowned as Severus's bracelet glowed red. Severus sat up and spoke into his wrist.

"James, what's wrong?" asked Severus softly.

"Are you outside?" asked Harry. Samantha walked silently over to Severus, clinging tightly to the back of the chair.

"No, I'm here in the house," said Severus. "Where are you?"

"I'm in the park, but there's someone in a cloak snooping around right outside the Square, and it's not either of you," said Harry. Samantha's face paled to a sickly white. Severus jumped up and began to walk out of the room, with Samantha right on his heels.

"Can you tell who it is?" said Severus. There were a few seconds pause.

"Damn it," said Harry softly. "It's Wormtail. How in the hell did he get here?" Samantha gasped sharply.

"Whatever you do, do NOT alert him to your presence," said Severus in a low tone. "I'm coming to you disillusioned. Disillusion yourself and keep him in sight." Severus ran upstairs and yanked open his bedside table. He pulled out his sheath and dagger, slipping it quickly over his robes. He ran back down the stairs as Samantha stood at the foot of the stairs, clutching the rail.

"We'll be back shortly, Sam," said Severus as he tapped his head with his wand. He pulled the front door open and ran out. He leapt down the front stairs, kneeling to hit his shoes with a Cushioning charm. His eyes darted back and forth as he neared the park. He lifted his wrist.

"James," he whispered. He crept to the fence surrounding the Square.

"He's moving towards the gate," said Harry softly. "I'm about 10 meters behind him."

"I'm at the fence," said Severus softly. "No spells. We don't want him to know there are wizards about." He glanced behind him and back to the gate, shivering in the cold. He stilled when a cloaked figure shuffled slowly out of the park. The figure walked with a limp, his left foot dragging slight on the ground. Severus saw a flash of his silver hand as Pettigrew looked up and down the street. Severus stepped closer, keeping one eye on him while glancing around for Harry. He spotted him near a tree, the blue outline barely visible behind some tall bushes. Pettigrew growled slightly.

"Forget this," he muttered. He turned and disapparated. Severus called Harry's bracelet.

"James?" whispered Severus as he searched for any other unwanted visitors.

"I see you," said Harry softly.

"Keep your charm on," said Severus. "Come to me as quietly and swiftly as you can."

"Got it," said Harry. Severus waited as Harry's blue form crept towards him. Severus pushed him gently towards the 12, keeping a hand on Harry's back while his sharp eyes darted around them. They made it to the house with no further interference. Harry opened the door and held it for Severus. He slipped in quickly and shut the door behind him, locking it securely. Harry tapped his head with his wand as Severus cancelled his own charm. Samantha grabbed Harry's shoulders.

"Are you okay?" she cried. She held his head up and looked him over thoroughly. "I was so scared and Severus just ran out the door and --"

"Samantha, let the boy go. He's fine," said Severus as he pried her hands off Harry. He kissed her and brought her close. "I'm sorry for just leaving, Sam." She nodded and pulled away from him to look at his face.

"Just don't do it again," she said, poking his chest with her finger. Harry took off his cloak and hung it on the rack with Severus's. He unbuttoned the first couple of buttons on his robes as he climbed the stairs.

"I'm going to change clothes," said Harry. He slowly ascended the stairs. Severus walked wearily towards the kitchen. He set a pot of coffee on to brew and took a seat at the table.

"It was Pettigrew in the Square," said Severus. He looked to Samantha standing in the doorway. "I don't know if he was just looking around or if he was sent. Either way, we need to let Draco know as soon as we can."

"But even if Pettigrew figured out where we were, he couldn't get in," said Samantha. "Albus didn't choose anyone else as secondary Keeper, did he?"

"Not to my knowledge," said Severus. "But that really doesn't count for much. Albus could be highly secretive when he set his mind to it."

"Yeah, no kidding," muttered Samantha. She poured a cup of coffee for Severus, setting it on the table beside his elbow. She rubbed his back softly. "We'll be alright. We just have to be more careful."

"I'm more worried about Draco at this point," said Severus. He exhaled loudly. "He'll have to be disillusioned from now on when he comes over. No one can be spotted coming to the house." Harry walked into the kitchen, dressed in loose fitting black clothes. He sniffed the air and smiled.

"I love the smell of coffee," said Harry. He walked over to the stove and poured a cup. He lifted it to his face, inhaling the smell before taking a small sip. He swallowed, smacking his lips, and looked back down into the cup. "You make this, Dad?"

Severus raised an eyebrow at him as Samantha chuckled silently. Harry shrugged.

"It's a lot stronger is all," he said. He took another drink and sat across from Severus. He rubbed his eyes underneath his glasses and sighed. "It's been a long day."

"Yes, it has been," said Severus. Samantha sat next to Severus as he picked an apple out of the bowl on the table.

"How is Ginny?" asked Samantha. Harry shook his head sadly.

"She's a mess, of course," said Harry. He held his cup in both hands. "She and Ron have always been really close, and Hermione was as good as her sister, especially since they moved back to the Burrow." He ran a hand through his hair. "I wanted to ask to you both about maybe writing to her more often, especially in the upcoming weeks."

"Hm," said Severus. He swallowed a mouthful of apple and thought a moment. "Your owl is very visible. You would have to be cautious as to what you wrote and make sure to send Hedwig out at random times, so that anyone watching wouldn't be able to predict when she'll be on a flight."

"Or you could ask Molly or Arthur to teach her the Patronus Messaging Charm," said Samantha. "That way you wouldn't have to write everything in code."

"I think for now, we'll stick to owls," said Harry. "Mr. and Mrs. Weasley aren't too thrilled with me telling her what the Order has been up to since school ended. I think I'll wait on the Charm until things settle down a bit." He glanced up at the clock. "I'm not really that hungry, so I'll be in my room for the night." He stood up, taking his coffee with him. He gave Samantha a kiss on the cheek and walked out of the kitchen.


	28. Chapter 28

**_A/N: Thanks to those of you who reviewed! I ripped the title for this chapter from one of my fav songs by Queen, although I think they just remade it. Back to the action and a little (early?) holiday spirit…_**

**Chapter 28- The Show Must Go On**

_Whenever evil befalls us, we ought to ask ourselves, after the first suffering, how we can turn it into good. So shall we take occasion, from one bitter root, to raise perhaps many flowers.- Leigh Hunt_

The windows of the 12 were dusted with snow, sparkling in the day's waning sunlight. Harry sat in the window chair, rereading _Guide to Advanced Transfiguration_ while Severus helped Samantha hang some garland along the walls. Harry suddenly got up and touched his wand to an ornament that Samantha had conjured onto the garland, muttering an incantation. He leapt back as the ornament split into shards and dropped heavily to the ground, dagger hilts swaying from the force of hitting the floor.

"Whoa," said Harry lowly. He looked into the shocked and furious face of Samantha. Severus tried to hold back a broad grin as she pounced on Harry.

"What are you doing?" she cried. "Do you know how long I've been conjuring those to hang up? You could have really hurt yourself!"

"I'm sorry, Mum," said Harry quickly. "I just wanted to see if something would work." He glanced back down to the floor and back up. "It just worked a little too well."

She groaned loudly, rubbing her eyes. She turned to Severus, who was chuckling. She rolled her eyes and flicked her wand at the destroyed ornament.

"You two could drive a woman to drink," she muttered loudly. She jabbed her wand at the wall where the ornament had been, conjuring another to take its place. "Now, off with you both or this will _never_ get done. I've had enough of your shenanigans for one day. Go destroy some other room I haven't decorated yet."

"Sorry, Mum," repeated Harry as he and Severus walked quickly towards the door. The door slammed loudly behind them, making them both jump slightly. Severus grinned at Harry.

"Thank you," he said quietly as they walked to the drawing room. "I was sick of that damn garland." He plopped down on the couch as Harry did the same in the chair. Severus stretched out his long limbs, lying down with his arms resting on his stomach.

"Always glad to be of service," said Harry. He stared at the large Christmas tree that stood in the corner, sparkling with tiny conjured fairy lights. He sighed. Severus turned towards Harry, who was staring blankly at the tree, his eyes glazed over.

"What's wrong, James?" asked Severus. Harry blinked several times and looked back at Severus. He shook his head slowly.

"Just thinking," said Harry. He closed his eyes, shifting his body to rest his head on the arm of the chair. His legs hung off the other side. Severus closed his eyes, shaking his head.

"Thinking is a very dangerous thing," said Severus. "Especially at this time of the year." Harry scoffed quietly.

"Yeah," said Harry. "I was just thinking how every Christmas, I have fewer and fewer people to spend it with." He opened his eyes. "It's has to stop. Before everyone I love dies, Voldemort has _got_ to be stopped." Severus tapped his fingers on his chest.

"I know, James," he said softly. "Believe me, I know." Harry swung his legs around and rose from his chair. He walked over to the desk and sat, pulling some parchment towards him. He inked a quill and began to write hastily across the page. After a few minutes, he signed it and rolled it up. He tapped it with his wand to store it in his patronus. He shot a white stag through the wall and sat back in the chair, drumming his fingers on the desk.

"We never figured out where exactly this storage facility is in the Ministry, did we?" said Harry. "Where they've got our chest?"

"No," said Severus as he sat up slowly. "It seems like a lifetime ago that we were destroying Horcruxes left and right." He ran a hand through his hair. "If only Samantha was still at work. She could probably find out for us by asking some stupid Auror trainee with loose lips."

"We're going to have to take Elias with us," said Harry. "He's the only one of us who has actually seen it before."

"Hm," mused Severus. They both sat in silence, dwelling on missing friends and antique relics. After an hour or so, Samantha walked quickly by the door. She stopped abruptly, leaning in from the hallway.

"There you two are," she said. "Dinner's ready, if you guys want it."

"Good," said Severus. "We need to have a working supper, if you don't mind." Samantha raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh?" she said. "I assume this isn't going to be about what we're having for Christmas dinner next week."

"Not quite," said Severus. Samantha gave him a suspicious look. He grinned at her and gave her a quick kiss as they walked towards the kitchen. Suddenly, the front door burst open, blowing cold air and snow into the entryway. It shut quickly and Draco reappeared from under his Disillusionment charm. He gave Samantha and Severus a smile, his rosy cheeks standing out from his pale face.

"Am I too late for some dinner, Mum?" he asked. Harry stuck his head back out the kitchen door, licking his fingers. He smiled.

"Hey bro," said Harry. Samantha walked over to where Draco was fumbling with the clasp of his cloak. She pulled his frozen fingers away and removed his cloak for him, hanging it on the rack near the door.

"You're just in time, love," said Samantha. "Come in and get warm. You should've worn some gloves." Draco rolled his eyes at Harry, who bit his lip to keep from laughing. He held the kitchen door for Draco, who was still trying to warm his hands. Draco sat across from Harry as the other two came in the door. He closed his eyes and inhaled.

"Oh man, I'm starving," said Draco. Harry handed him a plate and they began to dig in to the chicken and vegetables on the table. Severus sat at the head of the table, helping himself to a plate and some food. Samantha walked over next to Harry, staring at the table in thought.

"Hang on just a second," she said. She tapped the empty end of the table with her wand. The table began to shorten until it had just enough room for one more person. She banished all but one of the unused chairs to the corner of the room, out of the way. Smiling, she sat down across from Severus. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"No sense in having such a huge table," she said as she served herself some potatoes and chicken. After they had all finished, Samantha got up and brought over dessert.

"Treacle tart," moaned Harry. "My favorite dessert after chocolate cake."

"Mine, too," said Draco as he served himself a huge portion. Samantha smirked at Severus's creased forehead.

"Severus isn't too fond of it," said Samantha with a grin. He glared slightly at her as he sat back in his chair, drinking his pumpkin juice.

"I'm more of a cake person," mumbled Severus. He drained his cup and set it back on the table. "Just as well. I can start our discussion on what James and I were talking about earlier. He mentioned our infamous chest that we've forgotten about."

"Oh yeah," said Draco around a mouthful of tart. He opened his mouth to say something else, but shut it quickly at the disgusted look on Samantha's face.

"Yes," she said. She looked back to Severus. "We still don't know exactly where this place that contains our chest is inside the MInistry."

"That's what I said," said Harry. "We have to find out where that is and then go from there."

"Our best bet will be to get the chest between Christmas and New Year's," said Severus. "We'll be less likely to run into anyone if we do it then, especially if we wait until late at night. But we need to find out where it is first." He thought for a moment. "Sam, where can we get access to Auror files?"

She shook her head. "They're in a locked room. You have to have Auror clearance to get in. There's no way we can -" she trailed off at Severus's smirking face.

"My dear Samantha, you're forgetting something," said Severus. He leaned his elbows on the table. "You also happen to have clearance to that room, have you not? You filed all of their folders in that room, don't you?"

"Excellent!" said Harry excitedly. "We can just go and find where it is! It'll take us, like, ten minutes."

"Whoa, whoa, hang on," said Samantha. She looked incredulously at Severus. "Are you forgetting that if we're caught, not only do I lose my job, I could be fined my entire salary for the past two years _in addition_ to being sent to Azkaban for about a year?"

"Sam, once we're married, you won't ever have to work again if you don't want to," smirked Severus. Samantha growled at him.

"That's not the point, Severus!" she cried as she slapped her hands on the table. "Those files have all kinds of tricky protection wards on them. The last idiot who tried to open one without clearance sounded alarms and the entire department was evacuated! Even the Aurors who were on vacation apparated in! It was a nightmare."

"Hm," said Draco as he cleaned his plate. "So we'll just have to be more careful, right?" Samantha put her head in her hands, shaking it back and forth.

"Right," said Harry. "No worries, Mum." He looked at his watch. "You free for a little breaking and entering tonight, bro?" Draco's face broke out into a huge grin.

"I was born ready," he said. He looked to Severus. "What's the plan, Dad?"

"This will just be a reconnaissance mission," said Severus excitedly, a gleam in his eyes. "We'll wait to get the chest itself until after Christmas. Tonight is just for information on the location of the storage facility." He looked sternly at the boys, who were grinning madly. "You two are going to have to listen carefully and do exactly as I say, do you understand?" They nodded hurriedly at him. "If either one of you screws this up, you'll be in so deep you'll be lucky to see the light of day until next summer." The boys sobered quickly. Severus nodded once. "Right. Now, Sam, we can all apparate directly to your office, correct?"

"We should be able to," said Samantha slowly. "Unless they've put up really strange wards. The only thing we're going to have to watch for are the Aurors pulling graveyard shifts. But they're rarely in the offices until right before dawn." She chewed her nails nervously while she thought

"And we don't know exactly where we're going," said Harry, pointing to himself and Draco. "You're both going to have to Side-Apparate us."

"We can do that," said Severus. "We'll leave at midnight." The boys nodded as Samantha looked at him with an ashen face. She dropped her gaze, raising a trembling hand to her temple.

"Why don't you boys go upstairs for while?" said Severus, keeping his eyes on Samantha. Harry frowned at him, but with a look at Samantha, understood. Draco nodded and stood up, following Harry out of the room. Severus sighed softly, gazing at Samantha's white countenance.

"Sam, what's wrong?" whispered Severus. She shook her head at him, her face still deathly pale.

"Nothing," said Samantha as she avoided his gaze. "I'll be okay. Just nerves. We are breaking into the Ministry of bloody Magic, after all."

"Sam, everything will be fine," said Severus soothingly. "We'll get in and get out, just like we did at the Manor, although with no alarms." Samantha smiled a little at his joke. He stood and walked over to her, placing a kiss on her forehead. "Everything will be fine."

She moaned, putting her face in her hands. "Damn it, why does everything have to be so complicated?"

"Because we're dealing with an insane madman bent on world domination and a Ministry who is his unwitting accomplice?" said Severus, raising an eyebrow at her. Samantha chuckled and took a deep breath.

"Everything will be fine," she repeated. She closed her eyes, waiting for the clock to chime midnight.

* * *

Four hours later, the four of them stood invisible in the grove in Grimmauld Square, shivering from the cold. Severus offered his arm to Draco as Samantha did the same to Harry.

"Remember our plan," he said quietly. "The last thing we need is to be arrested."

"We know," said Harry tiredly. "Let's just go." Samantha and Severus turned and disapparated with the boys. They appeared in a dark office behind a tall cubicle wall. Samantha quickly tapped both Harry and Draco with her wand, redisillusioning them. Severus looked around the edge of the wall as he raised his own wand, recasting his charm.

"All clear. Lead the way, Sam," he whispered. She crept silently past Kingsley's office to a door at the end of the hallway, followed by Draco and Harry. Severus was a step behind the boys, glancing over his shoulders. Samantha stood before the door and raised her wand, placing her wand in the slot on the wall. It glowed blue, and the lock clicked. She pulled the door open, resheathing her wand, and ushered the boys inside. Severus took the door from her and backed into the room, watching behind them.

"Well, that was easy," muttered Harry as Severus closed the door softly. The door locked automatically. Samantha scoffed at him.

"Getting in is always the easy part," she growled. "It's the getting out that's hard." She lit her wand and moved to the corner of the room. She scanned down a huge filing cabinet, reading the names on the drawers.

"It should be in here," she whispered. She inserted her wand into the gap next to the handle. She pulled the drawer open and started rifling through the many folders. She stopped suddenly, running her fingers over the files. "Severus?"

He walked over to where she was and looked to where she was staring. He groaned at the sight of approximately thirty files, all labeled with the name 'Malfoy.'

"You've got to be kidding me," said Draco softly. Harry looked at the drawer in shock. Severus lifted the first few and handed them to Draco. He handed another handful to Harry and took the last bit, splitting it between himself and Samantha.

"Basic charm breaking to begin with," he said softly. "Then move up from there to more complicated detection spells."

He ran his wand over the first one, muttering incantations. The file flickered red for a few seconds. He cast another charm and the folder glowed red, then blue. The cover raised slightly. Severus opened it quickly, scanning the reports inside. "These are from about four years ago…investigation of the secret room…" He ran a finger down the inventory confiscated. "No chest."

"These are old, too," said Samantha. "They're from when the boys were little. Date's 1983." She resealed the folders. "The boys must have the more recent ones."

"How are you guys getting those open so fast?" said Harry. He sighed in frustration and rapped his wand hard on the folder. The cover flipped open. "Oh. Like that." He lit his wand and shuffled through the many sheets of parchment. "We're getting closer. These are from when Lucius was arrested after the Department of Mysteries battle." He handed it to Samantha as Draco opened another.

"Found it," said Draco smugly. He scanned the list, turning the page. He turned another page, and then another. "Damn, they sure don't skimp on listing things." He ran his finger across one page and read aloud. "One wooden chest, unable to open. Contains dangerous Dark object. Stored in Section 12B, fourth floor, cell number 983."

Severus groaned and rubbed his eyes. "I am such an _idiot_."

"What is it?" asked Samantha warily. She took the folder back from Draco, resealing it and placing it back in order with all the others.

"I know where the storage facility is," said Severus softly. "I've walked right past it on numerous occasions. There's a door towards the end of the hallway marked 'Storage' on the fourth floor. I thought it was just a cleaning closet. They must have some kind of repelling charm on the door." Samantha replaced all the files back in the drawer and shut it. She turned her wand to the right, relocking the drawer. The drawer glowed blue. Severus grabbed her arm as the sound of deep voices penetrated the room.

"I'm just gonna refile this," said a muffled voice. Severus grabbed them and pulled them towards an empty wall. He watched as the door opened and a young blond man walked in. He ambled over to a middle cabinet, opening up a drawer with his wand. He raised his head from the files and looked around. Severus held his breath as the Auror shrugged his shoulder, shutting the drawer. He walked back out and closed the door. The lock clicked. Samantha let out the breath she was holding.

"See, what did I tell you?" she whispered, turning to Harry. Severus walked quickly to the edge of the doorway. He tapped the doorframe with his wand. It glowed red once.

"There's one still out there," he whispered. "We're going to have to wait." Severus moved away from the door, standing to the left of the frame.

"You're kidding, right?" hissed Draco. "We can't stay here all night!"

"No, I'm not," said Severus softly. "We can't risk someone seeing the door open mysteriously, nevermind it being an Auror, of all people."

They waited for what seemed like an eternity. Severus tapped the frame every few minutes, surrounding the door in a red light. After half an hour, the doorframe finally glowed blue.

"It's clear," said Severus softly. "Boys, recast your charms." He tapped Samantha on her head as she inserted her wand into the slot labeled "level 3." Her wand alternated between flashing blue and green. The lock clicked open.

"Let's move," said Severus as he pulled the door open. Harry and Draco slipped out of the room, followed by Severus. Samantha pulled out her wand and shut the door. She tapped the door handle twice, hearing the lock slide back into place.

"Back to the Square," whispered Severus. "Leave your charms on until you get to the house. Go!"

The four of them disapparated with small pops, arriving back in the grove. Draco and Harry took off in a slow jog back to the house. Samantha took off after them. Severus started to jog when he heard a twig snap from somewhere behind him. He whirled around, his eyes darting back and forth. He stood perfectly still, his ears tuned to any foreign sound. Everything fell deathly silent. His insides froze when he saw the outline of two cloaked figures searching the grove a few meters away.

"I don't see anything," said one of the figures.

"Of course you can't _see_ anything," said the other. "It's the middle of the night, you dolt. But they're here somewhere." The voice took on a menacing tone. "We just have to wait for them to slip up. Then we'll catch them."

"Well, it's too bloody cold for us to look any longer tonight," said the first figure. "We'll come back and do some more looking around later."

"Fine," said the other. "I'll owl you." The figures disapparated with two loud cracks. Severus's bracelet glowed blue-green. He lifted it up to his wrist as he walked quickly out of the park.

"Haydyn," whispered Severus.

"Where are you?" said Samantha frantically.

"I'm on my way, Sam," said Severus softly. "I'll be back at the house momentarily."

"Please hurry," said Samantha. His bracelet cooled as he walked up the path to the front door. He opened and shut the door quickly, canceling his charm in the hallway. Harry and Draco were both sitting on the bottom stair, watching Samantha pace the hall. She ran to him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I'm fine," said Severus softly. He pulled back from her and kissed her forehead. He looked over to the boys. "We will have to be _very_ careful going to the park from now on. No loud apparating."

"Why?" said Harry, frowning. Severus sighed.

"Because I just saw two Death Eaters combing the Square for any signs of us," said Severus. Samantha swore under her breath as Draco stood up from the stair.

"How do they even know where to look?" cried Draco. "They can't know exactly where we are, can they?"

"No," said Severus. "Pettigrew must have told the Dark Lord that he suspects we're hiding somewhere close."

"And he's right," said Harry. He leaned against the railing, closing his eyes.

"But they can't get to us if we're in the house," said Samantha. "The Fidelius Charm is one of the most complicated Light spells that's known. As long as Severus is fine, we'll all be fine." Draco walked slowly to the rack beside the door, grabbing his cloak off the hook.

"Well, at least life isn't boring here," said Draco with a smirk. "However, I'm going back to the apartment. I'll be back by next week for Christmas." He kissed Samantha on the cheek. "Bye, Mum." He held his hand out to Severus, who shook it and walked him to the door.

"Be careful going back, Elias," he said. Draco swung his cloak around his shoulders.

"I will, Dad," said Draco. "See you next week." He tapped his head with a Disillusionment charm and left the house.


	29. Chapter 29

**_A/N: Christmas bells are ringing…Christmas bells are ringing…_**

**Chapter 29- Black Tidings for a New Year**

_Every sweet has its sour, every evil its good- Ralph Waldo Emerson_

Christmas morning dawned bright, the sunlight dancing with the dust as it poured in from the window. Severus awoke to the smell of bacon and ham. He turned over and found himself alone in the bed. He sat up, groaning at the stiffness in his back. He eyed the end of the bed for gifts and scowled at the note that sat in their place. He reached over and snatched up the paper, flicking it open with a thin finger.

_Come to breakfast when you get up. We'll open presents after Elias gets here. No whining, or you'll be last to open yours._

Severus sighed and swung his long, pale legs over the side of the bed. He got up, tossing the note back on the bed, and made his way to the shower.

Samantha set a plate of pancakes on the table and surveyed the spread. She smiled and looked at the clock on the wall. 10:30. As if on cue, the front door opened, the bells on the wreath jingling merrily. Samantha grinned as she stepped into the hallway.

"Happy Christmas, Elias!" she said as Draco cancelled his Disillusionment charm. He smiled at her.

"Hi Mum," he said. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and sniffed appreciatively at the air. "Smells wonderful."

"Thank you, sir," she said with a bow of her head. "The other two should be down in a minute. We'll eat breakfast and then open presents."

"Now, that's what I'm talking about," said Harry as he came down the stairs, his jet black hair still wet. "Food and presents. Doesn't get much better than that, really." Draco smirked at him.

"I completely agree," said Severus as he appeared at the top of the stairs. "However," he said, raising an eyebrow at Samantha, "I don't know if I like them in that order."

"Well, too bad," said Samantha, hands on her hips. "That's the way we're doing it, so come on in and get something to eat. I think I fixed enough food to feed a small army."

After breakfast, they all went to the drawing room, where the Christmas tree still sparkled with conjured fairy lights. The boys sat on the floor, while Samantha sat in the chair behind them. Severus knelt down and picked up the first package.

"James," he said, tossing the box to Harry. He tossed a similar one at Draco, who caught it on reflex. Severus smiled as the two boys ripped off the paper. They each pulled out a set of exquisite dress robes, the silky material sliding over their fingers.

"You both have so much black," said Samantha as Harry stood and slipped his emerald green robes over his clothes. "I thought the blue would go well with your eyes, Elias." Draco sat on the floor, running his hand over the midnight blue robes. Harry frowned a little, taking his robes back off.

"You okay, bro?" asked Harry softly. Draco shook his head and set the robes on the floor beside him.

"Yeah," said Draco. "Just reminded me of something, that's all." He looked up and gave Samantha a small smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, love," said Samantha gently. She looked back up at Severus, who ran a hand through his hair and sighed softly. He picked up a long, thin box and smiled. He got up and handed it to Samantha.

"For you, my dear," he said. She took the box from his hand and eyed it carefully, smiling slyly at him.

"You didn't get me a dagger, did you Severus?" she asked with a smirk. Severus scoffed playfully at her as she slid a finger under the flap of the paper. The paper fell away, revealing a black velvet box. She opened the cover and gasped, looking back up at Severus.

"It's gorgeous," breathed Samantha. She ran her fingers softly over the silver bracelet, tracing the edges of the emeralds on the chain. Severus grinned and turned back to the tree. He flicked his wand at a huge stack of gifts, levitating them over to Harry. Harry stared wide-eyed as Severus levitated a similar stack to Draco.

"Have at it, boys," said Severus with a wave of his hand. Draco and Harry grinned widely and tore into the boxes, throwing paper in every direction. Severus sat on the couch with a package, smirking at the exclamations of delight from the boys. Samantha stood and waded through the paper to sit next to Severus.

"I hope you like that," she said, pointing to the present in Severus's lap. He smiled and unwrapped the gift, lifting two books from the paper. He ran his hand over the black leather cover of one, feeling the embossed phoenix set into the front. He opened it and read Samantha's inscription:

_Be great in act, as you have been in thought;  
Let not the world see fear and sad distrust  
Govern the motion of a kingly eye:  
Be stirring as the time; be fire with fire;  
Threaten the threatener and outface the brow  
Of bragging horror: so shall inferior eyes,  
That borrow their behaviors from the great,  
Grow great by your example and put on  
The dauntless spirit of resolution.  
_

Severus leaned over and kissed her.

"Thank you, Sam," he said softly. She ran a hand through his hair as he thumbed through the silver edged pages of the journal and picked up the rare Potions text she had implored Florish and Blotts to order for her, due to it being one of the _very_ few Potions texts that Severus didn't already own. She watched as Harry inspected the pieces of his new marble chess set as he unwrapped a Chocolate Frog. Draco was flicking his wand in and out of the black leather holster strapped to his wrist.

"Take all your stuff upstairs, James," said Samantha as she banished several large pieces of paper. "Elias, you'll probably have to shrink your stuff." She stood and glanced under the tree for any leftover gifts. She spotted a small one near the back wall. She frowned and summoned the package, looking at the nametag.

"Elias, this is for you," said Samantha. He gave her a strange look as he took the package. He looked at the handwriting on the tag and grinned a little.

"I know who this is from," he said. He unwrapped it and read the title of the book. He burst out laughing.

"She got it," he said as he handed the book to Harry. Harry read the title and snorted, shaking his head.

"The Falcons," said Harry disdainfully. "I can't believe she likes them too." He gave the book back to Draco. Severus raised an eyebrow at Draco's grinning face.

"Who is this 'she'?" he asked. Draco's smile faded a little as he glanced quickly at Samantha. He cleared his throat nervously.

"It's - uh - it's from Rachel," he said. He quickly picked up his stuff, putting it all in one box and shrinking it. Samantha raised an eyebrow at Severus, who looked grim. Harry busied himself with banishing the rest of the paper.

"Interesting," smirked Samantha. She chuckled as Draco turned sharply to look at her, his eyes wide. "James, would you be so kind as to assist me with dinner? Kretcher seems a little - well, _resistant_ to helping me with the food." She gave him a meaningful look.

Harry nodded, flicking his eyes to Severus, who was eyeing Draco carefully. "Sure. Let me get this stuff upstairs and I'll be back down." He flicked his wand at the pile of gifts and levitated them behind him as he followed Samantha out of the room, pulling the door closed behind him. Severus stood from the couch. He crossed his arms in front of him and motioned with his head for Draco to sit. Draco sat stiffly, his hands clenched together in his lap. Severus sighed.

"I cannot, in all fairness, tell you not to pursue this young woman," said Severus softly. "However, I want to make sure you are _completely_ aware of what could happen should you not be vigilant in your day-to-day actions." Severus began to pace slowly, running a hand through his hair. "This is an _enormous_ risk you're taking, Draco."

"We'll be careful," said Draco firmly. "I'm not about to be responsible for another person dying because of me, especially her. Rachel knows we have to keep our relationship a secret for now. She knows to be careful in -- "

"You must be _more_ than careful," said Severus sternly, swooping down on Draco where he sat. "The tiniest slip of the tongue could spell her death and yours. The smallest crack in your Occlumency walls, and you will join the souls of all those we have already lost to the cause and will wait to meet her there after her gruesome death. Do you truly comprehend the consequences should you fail to protect her?" Draco held Severus's gaze, his face paling slightly.

"I will not fail," whispered Draco. "I will do _everything_ to keep her safe."

Severus held Draco's gaze before he nodded once and resumed his pacing. "Draco, I spent the better part of my life protecting Sam from certain death. Death that would have been at my hand." Severus sneered. "Voldemort does so _love_ his psychological manipulations. It is tiring. It is relentless. You can never let your guard down completely, even when you're alone with Rachel and you think no one is watching. However," he said, stopping in front of Draco, looking directly into his eyes.

"It is very worth it," said Severus softly, smiling a little. "All the trouble, all the fear and anxiety and arguments-- the rewards are _more_ than worth it all. Sam has been my life ever since I met her. She kept me sane after I had to return to Voldemort's service, kept me from giving up when things seemed so bleak and impossible. I completely understand the need for a woman who will be there for you no matter what and love you for who you are, no matter what." He knelt down in front of the boy, taking Draco's shoulders in his hands. "But Draco, you must be _completely_ dedicated to being more than careful. For her sake and for your own." Draco nodded.

"We will be, Dad," said Draco, his voice intense. "We will be." Severus sighed, giving Draco a small smile.

"That's my boy."

* * *

Dinner was a feast beyond any kind of reckoning. Samantha and Harry had racked their brains, thinking of every delicious dish they could remember from feasts at Hogwarts. Samantha had to stretch the table out in order to make room for all the dishes. Everything was perfect.

The four of them sat around the table, eating to their heart's content and talking of inconsequential things, like Quidditch and memories of Hogwarts at Christmas. After they had finished the main course, Samantha got up to fetch the many varied desserts that she had made: treacle tart, along with chocolate cake, homemade ice cream, and plum pudding. Draco reached over to serve himself some tart. As he went to put the utensil back in the dish, he suddenly dropped it. It clattered loudly on the table as he cradled his arm to his chest, swearing softly. Severus stood quickly and pulled Draco up out of his chair.

"Shields up!" he said sternly as he helped Draco out of the room and down the hall to the front door. Draco hastily removed his cloak from by the door, pulling from his pocket a small, black square. He unshrank it, donning his black Death Eater robes and his white mask while dropping his winter cloak on the floor. Harry came down the hallway, a grim but determined look on his face. He picked up Draco's cloak, folding it over his arm.

"Patronus Rachel for me, bro," said Draco as he tapped the top of his head, the Disillusionment charm covering him completely. Harry nodded and hurried upstairs.

"Vigilance, Elias," said Severus as he opened the door, letting in the frigid December air. A cloak swished out into the night and Severus closed the door. He placed his palms on the door and rested his forehead against the wood, mentally rehearsing his own checklist of calming his mind and setting up his Occlumency walls, trying in some way to will the thoughts to Draco. He felt delicate hands wrap themselves around his waist.

"He'll be okay," whispered Samantha. She rested her cheek against his back. "We just have to wait and hope for the best."

"How did you do this for so long and not go mad?" asked Severus softly. Samantha chuckled sadly.

"Oh, my love, I was inconsolable when you would go to meetings," said Samantha. "But ultimately, I had faith in your abilities. I knew you would do everything you could to keep us safe. I simply had to believe that you would always come back to me." Severus turned to her, taking her face in his hands.

"I love you, Samantha," whispered Severus. He pressed a tender kiss to her lips. They broke apart at the sound of stomping on the stairs.

"Why in the bloody hell is there no parchment anywhere in this house?" growled Harry angrily as he went down the hall to the library. Samantha grinned.

"There should be some on the table in there, James," said Severus as he embraced Samantha tightly. "Let's go to the drawing room, Sam. I need somewhere to sit and think."

The hours passed slowly. Severus sat in one of the chairs near the fireplace, staring morosely at the flames flickering in the grate. His elbows rested on the arms of the chair, his thin pale fingers tapping against one another restlessly before his face. Samantha was lying on the couch, reading one of Harry's new defense books that Severus had given him that he had left on the table. Harry stood stiffly at the window, watching the street anxiously. The clock in the hallway chimed eleven.

"It's Christmas, for Merlin's sake!" exclaimed Harry suddenly. "Damn Voldemort and his stupid gatherings! Just because all he has for company is that bloody snake!"

Samantha chuckled. "He'll be back soon, James," she said. "Don't let your frustration get the better of you, love."

Harry sighed and leaned on the window sill. Samantha got up, placing the book back on the table and left the room.

"Did you patronus Rachel, James?" asked Severus, still gazing into the fire. He dropped his hands from in front of him so that they hung limply past the end of the chair's arms.

"Yeah," answered Harry. He turned to look at Severus. "I also sent one to Ginny telling her that he was summoned." Severus's lips thinned into a white line. He turned to meet Harry's gaze.

"How long has she known, Harry?" asked Severus calmly. Harry held his gaze.

"Since Ron and Hermione moved back to the Burrow," said Harry. "She didn't believe their story about missing the Burrow, so when she wrote me, she asked. I told her the truth." Severus nodded.

"I've always thought that of all the Weasleys, Ginevra was the most level-headed," said Severus. "Although, that's not saying a whole lot." Harry smiled at him. Severus returned a grin briefly, his face falling in a look of grief.

"How I wish you boys didn't have to live in the same fear I did when I was young," he said softly. He shook his head, turning back to face the fire.

"It was unavoidable," said Harry, turning back to the window. "Elias and I chose to be directly involved in the war due to our circumstances. Ginny and Rachel understand that, just as Mum understands it. They chose to fall in love with renegades who are toeing the line of life and death, and neither of us can push them away for their own protection." He scoffed.

"Dumbledore always said that love was this infamous 'power the Dark Lord knows not' that I had," said Harry. "In some strange way, they're helping us win this bloody war. Elias and I just have to keep them alive."

Suddenly, the front door opened and shut quickly. Severus was up like a shot and down the hall. Harry ran after him, almost colliding with Samantha in the hallway. The three of them froze in shock at sight that met them.

"Rachel Ophelia Palmer!" shouted Samantha. "What are you doing here?"

"And more importantly," said Severus silkily, his fury readily apparent, "How did you get into this house?"

Rachel's face paled at Severus and Samantha's glares. She looked quickly to Harry, who was just as pale and nervously ruffling his hair. Severus nostrils flared as he spun around to look at Harry.

"How?" growled Severus menacingly. Harry dropped his hand and opened his mouth, but Rachel interrupted.

"Please, sir," she said. She recoiled slightly when Severus turned quickly to face her. "Remus gave me a slip of paper a while back with the address. Draco doesn't know that I'm here. I was hoping to drop by his apartment later, but then I got Harry's patronus -"

"Did you tell her to come here, James?" said Severus as he eyed Rachel suspiciously.

"No sir, I did not," said Harry. He jumped at the sound of the floo firing in the kitchen. He ran to see who it was, wand drawn.

"Oh yes, about that…" said Rachel, wincing as Harry shouted. Harry walked out of the kitchen clutching another hand in his, his face somber. The person pulled back, not wanting to be seen, but Harry shook his head and pulled on the hand. A mess of shockingly red hair appeared, framing an ashen, freckled face. Severus groaned, rubbing his face with his hands.

"This is a nightmare," he muttered. He looked between the two girls and sighed heavily. "I assume the two of you are in this together?"

"Yes sir," whispered Ginny and Rachel. Harry looked at Rachel, his eyes widening. His face paled further as he went and grabbed her shoulders.

"Rach, did you remember your disillusionment?" said Harry frantically. Rachel's eyes went wide in horror.

"Oh my God," whispered Samantha. Harry sprinted into the drawing room, dimming the lights as he ran to the window. Severus appeared right behind him, looking over Harry's head. They stood perfectly still for several minutes as their eyes darted back and forth from the direction of the park to the front door.

"I don't see anyone," said Harry softly. "I don't want to risk a detection spell."

"No," said Severus. He shook his head slowly. "We just have to hope they aren't out there when Elias comes home." He turned and waved his wand, lighting the room once again. Samantha stood in the doorway, glaring at Rachel and Ginny, who were sitting together on the couch. He sighed and addressed the girls.

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say that Rachel patronused you about this little jaunt, Ginevra. Is that correct?" Ginny nodded morosely. "Do Molly and Arthur know you're here?"

"Yes sir," said Ginny. "I told them I was coming to see Harry for a little bit, since he had told them he couldn't come over for Christmas dinner last week."

"Indeed," said Severus sternly. "And you, Rachel? Anyone to keep tabs on your whereabouts that we need to contact?"

"No, I have my own apartment in Hogsmeade," said Rachel. "Remus checks up on me every now and then, but not often. The last time he came by was when Draco and Ginny were over for lunch. He hasn't been by since."

"Typical," muttered Severus. He held out his hand. "I will need that slip of paper, if you please."

Rachel pulled out a small bit of parchment and handed it to Severus. He inspected the handwriting closely before walking over to the fireplace and burning the paper to ashes. He laughed dejectedly, rubbing his temple.

"The fact that Albus Dumbledore was sorted into Gryffindor is astonishing," he said. He drew his wand and shot his patronus through the wall. Harry went and sat between the girls on the couch, placing an arm around Ginny. They all jumped a minute later when a bright white wolf shot through the wall and stood haughtily in front of Severus. Severus sneered slightly but touched the tip of his wand to the patronus. He quickly flicked open the parchment and scoffed.

"Of course," he said. "Damn it, Albus!" He crushed the parchment in his hand and threw it into the fire. He turned back calmly and addressed the four shocked faces staring at him. "It seems we have a secondary Secret Keeper."

"Are you telling me that my fiancé and my cousin are both Secret Keeper for the 12 and I never knew!" cried Samantha. "How in the world did the two of you keep this from me?"

"Well," said Severus. "_I_ was under strict orders not to divulge the information unless some extreme circumstance necessitated it. I can only assume Lupin was told the same, as I didn't even know about his being secondary Keeper."

The door opened and shut again, followed by a loud thud in the hallway. Severus ran out of the room, Rachel hot on his heels. Severus cancelled Draco's disillusionment and his face paled.

"James, get upstairs and fix a room," said Severus harshly. Harry pulled Ginny with him up the stairs to the second floor, while Severus carefully removed Draco's Death Eater robes. Samantha knelt down beside him and started running diagnostics.

"Severus, I need him in a clean bed," said Samantha. "He has too many open wounds for him to be lying on this dirty floor." She ran her wand over one of the many lashes across Draco's chest, closing it with a soft incantation. Draco moaned in pain. Rachel grabbed his hand, brushing his hair back.

"Hey love, it's me," she said softly. Draco's eyes fluttered as he groaned again.

"Rachel," he gasped. "Rachel, what --"

"Shh, don't talk," said Rachel as she looked at Samantha with tears in her eyes. Rachel sniffed and wiped her face quickly. "If you need me to brew potions, I can." Severus looked up at her and nodded once.

"Blood replenisher and Invigoration Draught, to begin with," said Severus. "Get Harry to show you where the lab is. He can help you brew." Rachel jumped up and ran to where Harry and Ginny were. Severus stood and carefully levitated Draco's bloody body off the floor, Samantha following his movement and healing Draco's cuts as well as she could. Severus moved quickly up the stairs, careful not to cause Draco any pain. The three of them reached the second floor, where Ginny ushered them into an unoccupied room. Severus gently sat Draco down on the bed.

"Ginny, if you could help me," said Samantha as she moved to the side of the bed. "Some water and some clean cloths, if you please. Quickly now." Ginny rushed out of the room. "Severus, go help Rachel and Harry. It'll go faster that way. I'm also going to need some bruise-healing paste and some wound-cleaning potion." Severus swept silently out of the room. Samantha held back her tears as she removed Draco's torn shirt, revealing bloody lashes and bruises criss-crossing across his chest. Severus returned with some vials, setting them on the bedside table. Ginny came in soon after with a bowl full of warm water and some washcloths.

"I'll bring the potions down as we get them done," said Severus softly. Samantha nodded at him, and began to once again concentrate on healing the many cuts on Draco's torso.

The five of them stayed up all night, rushing back and forth between where Draco and Samantha and the potions lab on the fourth floor. Ginny patronused Molly and Arthur, telling them she was spending the night at Headquarters to help with Draco. Rachel and Harry looked haggard after they were done brewing, large black circles visible under their eyes. Samantha had kicked them out of the room so that she could concentrate, so the three of them sat out in the hallway. Severus helped Samantha clean wounds and administer the potions, which put Draco into a deep healing sleep. Severus rubbed his eyes wearily.

"These potions will keep him out until late morning or early afternoon tomorrow," said Severus softly. Samantha sighed, brushing Draco's cheek with her hand.

"Something happened, Severus," said Samantha. "Something bad."

"That is what worries me," said Severus. "What did they want that Draco doesn't have? Important enough to punish him for, but not enough to kill him outright." He shook his head, glancing up at Samantha's weary face. "Get some rest, love. I can watch him for a while."

Samantha nodded and stood, stretching her arms and back. She walked over to the door and opened it to see the other three kids sitting on the floor, sound asleep. She smiled at the haphazard way their heads and necks were lying on each other's shoulders.

"Severus," whispered Samantha. Severus looked up, giving her a questioning look. She flicked her head over to the hallway, motioning him to see. He rose and stood behind her, scoffing slightly at the sight.

"They'll all be sore tomorrow," he whispered.

"If we wake them, they'll want to stay up," said Samantha. "They need to sleep." She thought for a moment, drawing her wand silently. She conjured three cushioned sleeping bags, lying them end to end in the hallway. She gently levitated Rachel gently to one, while Severus lifted Ginny, placing them softly onto the makeshift beds. Samantha lifted Harry and put him in the sleeping bag nearest to the door. She tucked him in, brushing his hair back off his forehead.

"Sweet dreams, child," whispered Samantha, brushing a hand against his cheek. Her eyes filled with tears at the sight of his young face. _Oh, Lily…how I wish you were here. You would know what to do now_. She heard the door to the bedroom where Draco was sleeping shut softly behind her. She stood and dimmed the lights in the hallway before walking to Severus's room.

**_A/N2: Samantha's inscription comes from Shakespeare's King John, Act V, Scene 1. Next chapter, we find out what Voldemort wanted…_**


	30. Chapter 30

**_A/N: Thanks to those of you who are still with me. If you haven't done so already, drop me a line and let me know what you like and don't like. I don't make any promises, but I am definitely open to suggestions._**

**Chapter 30- The Grand Scheme of Things**

_He harms himself who does harm to another, and the evil plan is most harmful to the planner.- Hesiod_

Severus stood at the window, staring out over the bare trees that marked the edge of Grimmauld Square. The sun glittered off the remnant of snow and ice lying serenely on the top branches. There was a soft knock on the door. Severus walked over silently and opened it. He stepped aside, allowing Rachel to enter.

"How is he?" she whispered. She walked over and sat in the stiff wooden chair by the side of the bed, taking Draco's pale hand in her own.

"There will be some scarring," said Severus softly. "Sam only healed the internal damage and left some of the surface wounds alone. If Draco went back to Voldemort completely healed, he would become very suspicious. He should be fine in a few days."

"Thank you," said Rachel. She turned to Severus. "I'm really sorry. I know you're probably not thrilled with Draco and I at the moment. Samantha shouted at me for quite some time this morning."

Severus walked over to the opposite side of the bed. He placed his hand on Draco's forehead, checking for any sign of fever. He withdrew his hand.

"I am certainly unhappy with your lack of stealth in coming here," said Severus. "But it will definitely be of benefit to have you here when Draco awakens." He pinned her with a serious look. "You have chosen a very dangerous path, Rachel. You must be strong for him, just as he is being strong for you."

Rachel looked back at Draco's sleeping face. Her eyes filled with tears. "I don't know what to do. I just feel so helpless."

"Believe me," said Severus as walked back over to the window. "You are doing more than you can possibly know to help Draco just in being here. I'm sure a time will come, and soon, where you will have ample opportunity to do something." He glanced at his watch. "He should wake up any time now. If I'm not back, call Samantha. We need to make sure that the potions didn't affect him strangely in any way." Rachel nodded and Severus walked towards the door. He opened it and stopped abruptly at the sight of Harry's hand raised to knock.

"How do you do that?" said Harry with a grin. Severus returned it, ushering him and Ginny into the room with a graceful wave of his hand.

"I'll be back in a little while," said Severus.

Half an hour later, Severus returned, freshly showered. He noticed the sleeping bags still on the floor in the hallway as he went back into the bedroom. Samantha sat on the edge of the bed, running diagnostics on a conscious Draco while Rachel stood on the other side, holding his hand. Harry stood at the end of the bed, his arms around Ginny. Severus stood next to her, watching as Samantha finished her spell.

"Everything seems okay," said Samantha. "I'll have to do a few more tests, but we can do that later. How are you feeling, love?"

"Okay," said Draco hoarsely. "I'm really sore all over, but otherwise I'm fine."

"I'm surprised you feel even that well," said Severus. "You lost enough blood to feed several ravenous vampires, Elias."

Draco smirked at him. "Hope I didn't ruin any of the carpet."

"Yes, well," said Samantha sternly. "You should concentrate on resting for now, Draco."

"He can do that after he reports," said Severus. Samantha clenched her jaw, but nodded once.

"Fine," she said curtly," but after that, the lot of you will leave the boy in peace. Understood?" She glared at the three kids before they all nodded their assent.

"From the time you left the house, if you please, Elias," said Severus. He crossed his arms and leaned against the bedpost as Draco began.

"I apparated to the meeting by the Mark, as usual," said Draco. He shook his head. "The Dark Lord was in a towering rage. He's still furious about Hogsmeade and how the Order just happened to be there, so we were punished for that. Again. After that, he talked on and on about what he wanted to accomplish with that attack and why our failure was unacceptable. He was trying to weaken the village for another attack." Draco looked at Severus, who ran a hand over his face.

"Did he say when?" asked Harry as he released his hold on Ginny. "Any possible dates?"

Draco shook his head. "No. He pulled a few of us aside after he was done with his 'punishing' to talk about possibilities were we to take the school. Wormtail was there, obviously. Aunt Bella and –" he paused, coughing slightly, "—and me."

"Bloody hell," said Harry. "We're in this deep, aren't we?"

"Yes, we are, and faster than I thought we would be" said Severus, continuing to stare at Draco. "But, if Voldemort's planning an attack on Hogwarts, this is _exactly_ where we want to be. I assume you haven't been fully admitted yet, hence the nature of your wounds."

Draco nodded. "He let Bella and Wormtail have a little 'fun' after we were done. Bella didn't do too much damage with her slicing hexes, since she healed them before she cast the next one. But Wormtail," he growled, "Wormtail had fun. After this is all over, if he's not already dead, I will fix that immediately."

"Take a number," muttered Harry.

"I've also been given another task," sneered Draco. "It is my job to find out as much information as I can about the Order of the Phoenix, including who the Secret Keeper is. The Dark Lord doesn't want me to infiltrate the Order, as he's a bit cautious after what happened last time, but he wants to know what we're doing to stop him and how we're getting information about what they're doing."

The whole room fell silent. Draco squeezed Rachel's hand. She gave him a small smile, raising their joined hands to her cheek.

"Then we will get you information," said Severus softly. The other four looked at him in shock. "I must think about this carefully. Rachel, be very mindful of what you say around Draco." She nodded. Severus looked back at Draco. "We'll be downstairs. You need to go back to your apartment soon, but you need to rest before attempting to apparate. We'll be downstairs." He motioned for Harry and Ginny to leave, giving Samantha a pointed look. She conjured a glass of water, setting it on the bedside table for Draco. Severus gently touched Rachel's shoulder. She bent forward and gave Draco a brief kiss before standing and leaving the room. Severus ushered them out of the room, closing the door softly behind him. Harry and Ginny stood in the hallway, waiting.

"Kitchen," he said. They all made their way downstairs and sat around the table. Samantha returned it to its normal size, summoning a few extra chairs from the corner. Severus stood at the head of the table.

"Voldemort already has some idea of where we are," said Severus. "He's been sending out scouts to search for clues. They will undoubtedly begin to report to Draco. Due once again to Albus's brilliant forethought, we are somewhat fortunate in dealing with the Fidelius charm on the Order and this house, am I right, Sam?"

Samantha nodded. "The Dark Lord would have to have both you and Remus tell him or someone else the secret before the charm would be completely broken."

"So, we can either have Draco tell Voldemort both your names," said Ginny. "Or just one."

"So now the question is," said Harry. "Which of you will we put in even more danger than you're already in and when will we do it?"

"We need the chest first," said Samantha. Severus looked at her sharply, flicking his eyes to Ginny and Rachel.

"We know," said Rachel. Severus looked to Harry, who shrugged.

"They asked Elias about what we were doing here at the house when we weren't getting information," said Harry. "He patronused me and asked if he could tell them. I said yes. No one else knows. At least, not at this point."

"We're going to have to tell the Order soon," said Samantha, frowning slightly. "Especially if the Dark Lord goes for the school."

"We can deal with that later," said Severus. "For now, we need to find a way to get Draco information so that he can secure his position in the Inner Circle. And I think I've thought of something that might work." He turned to Rachel. "Rachel, you're going to have to start letting some details slip about your kinship to Lupin in front of Draco."

Rachel gave him a questioning look. "How is that going to help?"

"By doing that, you can imply things without having to say them out loud," said Harry slowly, staring at Severus. Severus nodded at him. "If you imply that Remus is the new leader of the Order, Voldemort might assume that Remus is the Secret Keeper."

"Which he is," said Samantha. "We're taking an awfully big risk here. Remus isn't hidden and protected like you are, Severus."

"We can have Tonks lay down some wards around his house," said Harry. "He's connected by floo if something did happen."

"It's a risk we must take," said Severus softly. "I don't like putting our members at risk, but we have to do what is needed in order to further the larger picture. I will notify Remus and tell him all the details about what we're doing as far as Draco is concerned. Draco won't pass this information immediately. We do need the chest before we do anything." He looked solemnly at the four of them.

"If battle comes to Hogwarts, it will be the last battle," said Severus softly. "Girls, I want you both to go home and get some rest. We'll be in contact with you about coming over and doing some training with us, especially you Ginevra. You have some catching up to do before I feel comfortable with you in ground battle. I will go talk to Draco about the plan. We'll go for the chest on New Year's."

* * *

A week later, the hallway echoed with the banging of spells hitting others and hitting the walls of the ballroom. Harry and Draco were standing in the middle of the hallway, waiting for Severus. He came through the ballroom doors, shutting them behind him and striding quickly to the front door.

"Charms," said Severus softly. Harry and Draco raised their wands, casting Disillusionment charms. Severus grinned as he did the same. "We're off." They went out into the night, leaving nothing behind other than the female shouts and yells from the ballroom.

They apparated to the Atrium of the Ministry. Severus grabbed their arms, holding them still. His eyes darted back and forth.

"Alright, let's move," whispered Severus. "Cushioning charms as well, if you please." He flicked his wand down at his shoes and proceeded to the stairwell past the elevator. He took the stairs two at a time, ears alert for any sign of patrolling Aurors or security. The silence that greeted him was disquieting.

"Why didn't we take the elevator again?" hissed Draco, panting softly.

"It is too noisy," muttered Severus. "I didn't want the entire Ministry to be alerted to our presence." He lit his wand softly and read the placard next to a door. "One more floor. Quickly." He reached the door to the fourth floor first. He tapped the frame with his wand, smiling at the blue glow around the door. He looked behind him at the two hunched over blue outlines and chuckled softly.

"I see we need to add a little conditioning to our workouts," said Severus softly. He tapped the doorknob and the door opened slightly with a loud click. Severus peered through the crack, searching for any unwanted observers. He slid through the door, looking back and forth down the hallway as the boys came through.

"Shut the door, James," whispered Severus. Harry pulled the door to with another loud click. Severus walked across the hall, lighting his wand to quickly read the placards on the doors. "This way. Follow me." He took off to his right, relying on his memory of what the hall looked like upon his last visit. He walked past a door, not bothering to look at it. He stopped suddenly, frowning. He turned back around and approached the door. He scoffed.

"And the Ministry was sending out leaflets on security," muttered Severus. He lit his wand and skimmed it over the sign. He read the word 'Storage' in bold dark letters. He held his breath as he flicked his wand, canceling the repelling charms on the door. When no alarms sounded, he spoke softly. "Elias, what was the number of the cell where the chest was?"

"983," whispered Draco. Severus raised his wand to the door, but paused.

"Touch nothing but the chest, are we clear?" said Severus softly. "Who knows what kinds of things they've got in here, never mind how they're stored." He tapped the door, opening it quietly, the boys on his heels. Harry closed the door behind him.

"Split up," said Severus as he lit his wand. "Call a bracelet when you find it. Do _not_ attempt to break the wards yourselves." He walked towards the end of the room, while Harry and Draco went sideways. There were aisles and aisles of small, closet-like compartments, the only distinguishing mark between them being a black number painted on the front. Severus ran his wand over them as he walked quickly up one aisle and down the next. The rows of compartments were endless. The Dark magic was palpable around a few of the compartments, muddling Severus's mind. He shook his head and erected some weak Occlumency walls. He turned down one row and stopped to read the bold script on the end of the aisle: _Proceed with caution. Highly dangerous contraband: cells 900-1354_.

_Getting close_, thought Severus as he lengthened his stride. His Mark began to tingle slightly. He reinforced his mental walls as he stopped before a large compartment. He lifted his wrist to his mouth as he walked to the end of the aisle.

"Elias," he whispered. His bracelet immediately glowed navy blue.

"Find it?" said Draco.

"Yes," said Severus. "You'll need to put up some Occlumency walls before you come closer. Call James and walk towards the center aisle of the room. I'll be flashing my wand." His bracelet went cold. He began to flick his wand back and forth, light and dark. He stopped when he saw two blue outlines jogging towards him. He turned back down the aisle, stopping before the compartment.

"Now what?" whispered Harry when he reached Severus. Severus began an incantation, encasing the compartment in a red glow. He continued the incantation for several minutes. His forehead broke out in a sweat and his hand began to shake with the effort of breaking through the wards. A hole appeared in the red glow, slowly becoming bigger. Just as he fell to his knees from the effort, the red glow disappeared entirely. He stayed on the ground for a few moments, gasping at the stuffy air of the room, as Draco made his way over to the door and tapped it with his wand. The compartment door opened.

Draco lit his wand, peering inside. He cursed under his breath. "It's bloody huge. Why don't I just go in and look for it? I've seen it before, so it won't take me as long." Severus nodded wearily and Draco's blue form disappeared into the closet. Harry knelt down beside Severus, his wand pointed towards the end of the aisle.

"You okay?" he asked, placing a hand on Severus's back. Severus pushed himself up against another compartment, his breathing finally returning to normal.

"Yes," breathed Severus. "I'm alright. Ward breaking is very draining. I don't know how Bill did it for all those years in Egypt." Harry smiled in the darkness as he watched for any signs of security. Severus kept one eye on Harry while still watching the door to cell 983. Severus got to his feet, feeling his knees shake a little. He reached out a hand to steady himself against one of the compartments, as Draco appeared carrying the chest. Harry shined his wand on it. The Ravenclaw crest was faded on the side of the trunk.

"Good work," said Severus. "Apparate to the Square." He tapped both of their heads again, recasting their charm. "You must get the chest quickly to the 12. Any Death Eater within several meters will be able to feel its presence. I will be behind you. I have to reset the wards on the cell. Go now." Harry took a deep breath as he and Draco disapparated. Immediately, bright red lights flashed on and off and shrill alarms sounded. Severus tried to disapparate, but nothing happened. He clapped his hands over his ears as he ran for the door. He reached for the door handle, but had to jump out of the way as the door burst open. Dawlish, Kingsley and Tonks stood right inside the doorway, panting slightly. Severus edged around them as Dawlish began barking orders.

"Shacklebolt, go right! We'll flush him out! Tonks! Start the detection spells on the perimeter!"

Severus took off running down the hall, taking care to avoid the many Aurors who were racing past him in the opposite direction. He heard someone shout "Malfoy" as he disapparated with a soft, inaudible pop. He reappeared in the park and met another blue outlined figure walking quickly towards him.

"That was fast," said Draco softly as he reached Severus. Severus grabbed his arm.

"Go to your apartment now," said Severus quickly. "I imagine you will be having visitors for the next couple of days."

"Damn it," said Draco as he disapparated. Severus ran to the 12. His charm faded just as he shut the door. Samantha ran to him as he slid to the floor, his head in his hands. Harry stepped out of the kitchen and ran over to them.

"Severus, what's wrong?" cried Samantha. She shook his shoulder. "Severus!"

"The alarms went off when the boys apparated out," said Severus angrily. "Aurors were everywhere. Shacklebolt and Tonks were there, along with the entire department, I imagine. They know what cell we broke into. They will know what's missing by the morning."

"Bloody hell," said Harry, rubbing his face with his hands. "So Elias won't be over for a few days?"

"He most certainly will not," said Severus as he got up stiffly from the floor. "Since we can't tell Kingsley and Tonks why we broke in, the story will hit the _Prophet_ tomorrow. Hopefully, Scrimgeour's dislike of bad publicity will keep all the details from being published."

"Where did you put it, James?" asked Samantha. Severus kissed her forehead, running a hand through her curly hair.

"It's on the kitchen table," said Harry. Severus and Samantha followed him down the hall. Harry pushed open the door and froze. Severus looked over his shoulder. Samantha's eyes widened as Harry stepped closer to the unmoving house-elf lying on the floor. He nudged it with his shoe, recoiling when it didn't respond.

"The other Horcruxes didn't do this," whispered Harry. He backed up against the wall and drew his wand. "Why is this one different?"

"Maybe he touched it or something," said Samantha. "Or tried to open it." She worriedly looked to Severus.

"I'll deal with the elf," said Severus. "I need to put the chest somewhere safe from prying first. You two go on up to bed." He kissed Samantha goodnight as she and Harry left the room. Severus flicked his wand at the trunk, levitating it behind him as he walked down the hallway. He opened a door, the light from the hallway reflecting on some pieces of glass that still remained on the floor from a month and a half ago. He maneuvered the chest to the middle of the room, and set it down with a thump. He shut the door, warding it thickly against intrusion.

Severus walked out of the room and back to the kitchen. Kretcher was still lying in the middle of the floor in the exact same position as they had found him in earlier. Severus flicked his wand, levitating the tiny body off the floor. He made his way over to the little used back door and fumbled with the old lock. He finally got the door to open, the hinges protesting loudly as Severus pulled on the oak door. He quickly descended the steps and strode over to a tree that stood in the middle of the yard. He set Kretcher down on the ground and muttered a spell. Dirt began to pile beside an ever-deepening hole next to the tree. When the spell was complete, Severus lowered Kretcher into the pit, muttering another spell to cover the elf in the earth. He also cast several deflection charms around the tree to keep dogs and other scavengers from digging up the body. He hurried back inside the house, shutting the door firmly and relocking it. He ran a hand through his hair as he made his way upstairs to bed.


	31. Chapter 31

_**A/N: Hope y'all like the action. We're getting down to the end, where the action will take over for a bit. But never fear! The romance will make a come back!**_

**_I don't consciously channel Indiana Jones into this story, I promise! I am a HUGE fan, however. My favorite is Last Crusade. The back and forth between Connery and Ford is amazing…but all three movies really great._**

**Chapter 31- Waiting for the Hammer Stroke to Fall**

_We shall not fail or falter; we shall not weaken or tire…Give us the tools and we will finish the job.- Winston Churchill_

**MINISTRY SECURITY BREACH**

_While the rest of the Wizarding World heralded the coming of a new year, security at the Ministry of Magic in London was breached. No details are being released at this time as to where the break-in took place or what, if anything, was stolen or tampered with._

_  
"The perpetrators got away from us this time," said Deputy Head Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt. "The Minister has already approved increased security in and around the building to protect contraband and other various artifacts from falling into the wrong hands."_

_  
Opinions about security among other people are somewhat mixed in the wake of the Minister's decision. Percy Weasley, undersecretary to the Minister, had this to say._

_  
"Of course we're concerned about the breach. The Minister wants to reassure the Wizarding community that everything is being done to keep this kind of thing from happening again. Minister Scrimgeour is dedicated to improving security everywhere." (story ctnd. on page 3)_

"Arrogant prat," growled Harry as he tossed the Prophet towards Samantha. "At least they didn't give out any details."

"Some good news from the _Prophet_ for once," said Severus as he set a plate of pancakes on the table. "You know, Sam, this cooking business isn't really all that bad."

Samantha laughed at him. "No, it isn't. Just takes a little practice is all." She winked at Harry's smirking face as Severus turned back to finish the bacon. Samantha flipped idly through the paper. Harry was taking a drink of his coffee when Remus's white wolf patronus jumped through the wall, startling him. He swore as hot coffee sloshed in his lap. He set his cup back on the table and waved his wand over his clothes as Samantha touched her wand to the patronus.

"Remus said Tonks is finished with the wards around his house," said Samantha. "He says that she was only able to put up detection charms and weak protection wards. Tonks says the Ministry would start asking weird questions if they detected high level Auror wards around his house."

"Well, something is better than nothing at all," said Severus as he sat the plate of bacon on the table and handed a plate to Samantha and Harry. "He'll just have to be quick about getting out if the alarms go off." He sat and served himself some pancakes. "Lupin will be fine. The girls will be here in a little while, so we need to eat. Hopefully they can help us a bit with our research."

* * *

Weeks passed in a flurry of heavy training sessions and research. Rachel and Ginny came over every couple of days, training extensively with Severus and Samantha. Harry and Severus worked on advanced curses and Occlumency after the girls would leave, with Draco joining them infrequently. In their spare time, Severus, Samantha and Harry would do research, trying to find a spell to destroy the chest.

They were sitting at the table in the library one night when the front door open and shut quickly. Harry and Severus stood up quickly, wands drawn and pointed down the hall through the open door. Draco appeared from underneath his Disillusionment charm and raised an eyebrow at them.

"A little jumpy, aren't we?" he said with a smirk. He shrugged off his thick winter cloak and hung it on the rack next to the door. He walked towards them, unshrinking several books from his pocket as he entered the library. "I come with gifts for thee. I was at Gringott's and thought we could use these."

"Excellent," said Severus as he took the proffered books. "We've just about exhausted all of our options here."

Samantha rubbed her face with her hands and yawned widely.

"I think I'm going to turn in early," she said, rising slowly from her chair. "My eyes are burning." She kissed Severus on the cheek. "Goodnight boys."

"Night, Mum," said Harry.

"Night," said Draco as she walked past him out of the room. Severus opened one of the books Draco had given him and began to pour over the pages. Draco sat calmly in one of the chairs, reaching over and pulling a book towards him.

"Yaxley was in the Square when I arrived, just so you know," said Draco. "He's been reporting to me on anything he finds, which has been nothing. I've got Crabbe and Goyle tailing any Weasley they see. Mr. Weasley and Ginny have been letting me know about the times he's seen them. Wormtail's been trying to follow Lupin, but I told him to back off and that I would take care of Lupin. I don't if he'll actually listen."

"Things are going well, then," said Severus as he looked up from his book. "How are your reports being received by Voldemort?"

"I think they're going well," said Draco. "He seems pleased with the progress I've made. I haven't told him about Lupin being Secret Keeper yet, but I've dropped hints. We'll see how things keep going. The Dark Lord is stepping up his plans for the attack on the school. He told the three of us in the Circle that he plans to tell the rest of the Death Eaters at the next full gathering, which should be in a week or two. He's thinking sometime in March for the attack."

"And it will probably be earlier in the month rather than later," said Severus. "He's dreamed of attacking the school for years, but never dared to do it while Albus was still alive. Voldemort is not a patient man. He will rush to complete his plans, which will work in our favor."

"A month," muttered Harry. He sat back, tapping his fingers on the arm of the chair. Draco slouched in his seat, putting his hands into his trouser pockets. He sat up suddenly, pulling out another miniature book. He tapped it with his wand and opened it, flipping idly through its pages.

"Here's something interesting," said Draco as he set the book down on the table. "The Soul-Siphoning Spell."

Severus's head jerked up.

"What?" he whispered.

"The Soul-Siphoning Spell," read Draco. "Expressly banned by the Ministry of Magic, circa 1874. Similar in effect to the Dementor's Kiss, the Soul-Siphoning spell is both dangerous to the object being attacked with the spell as well as the caster themselves –"

"That's it," said Severus as he snatched the book from Draco. "That's the spell that Albus used on the ring. I've been racking my brain trying to remember it."

"Hang on," said Harry. "Are you sure we can do this spell? We don't need anyone charring their limbs off."

"Yeah," said Draco, inspecting his hands. "I like my skin this pasty white color, thank you very much."

"That's why neither of you will be doing the casting," said Severus as he continued to read the passage on the spell. "I will destroy the chest tomorrow afternoon."

"WHAT?" cried Harry and Draco.

"What do you mean, 'neither of us will be doing the casting'?" asked Harry angrily. Draco's face was pale with fury.

"I meant just what I said," said Severus sternly, giving each of the boys a hard glare. "We cannot afford to lose either one of you or have you weakened in any way at this juncture in time. I will get rid of the chest tomorrow afternoon. Albus told me what happened when he cast the spell on the ring. I am sure that I can avoid being injured this time."

"I still think we should help," said Draco. "What if something goes wrong with this one that didn't go wrong last time? We can't afford to lose you either, you know."

"This is not up for discussion," said Severus as he stood from his chair. "Good night to both of you." He waved his wand at the pile of books, directing them to their proper places on the shelves behind him. He picked up the book containing the spell and swept out of the room. He climbed the stairs silently and entered his room. He opened a drawer in his desk and placed the book inside. Shutting the drawer, he warded it three times, not trusting the boys not to come look for it. He undressed and slipped into bed next to Samantha. Her eyes fluttered open and shut again as she shifted to rest her head on his chest. Severus smiled softly to himself as he closed his eyes, running his fingers through her long hair.

* * *

The next day, the atmosphere around the kitchen table was tense. Samantha was sipping on a cup of tea, smirking at Severus. Draco stood in the corner, still wearing his cloak, with his arms crossed over his chest. Harry stood next to him, drinking the last of his pumpkin juice and munching on an apple. Severus sat at the table, ignoring the glares the boys were shooting at him, leisurely eating his lunch. Right as he stood up, the floo flared green. Severus stepped between it and Samantha, drawing his wand. Draco and Harry did the same as Remus fell out of the grate covered in ash and blood.

"Lupin!" cried Severus. He made to reach for him, but Harry stopped him with an outstretched arm. Remus groaned as he tried to hold himself up with one hand, the other on his bleeding side.

"What was my father's nickname in school?" said Harry quickly, his wand still on Remus. Remus smiled as he gritted his teeth.

"Prongs," gasped Remus.

Harry released Severus as he resheathed his wand.

"What happened?" asked Draco in shock. Samantha quickly healed the wound as Severus summoned a vial of blood replenisher from the potions lab.

"I was in my kitchen eating when I heard a noise," said Remus weakly. "I walked out into the hall and found Wormtail trying to dismantle the wards from inside the house. He got a shot off before I could get to the floo. Must have slipped through the wards in his animagus form."

"Bloody hell," said Draco. Severus caught the vial of red liquid and handed it to Remus, who drank it immediately.

"Draco, you need to go back to your apartment. Now," said Severus quickly. "If you're summoned, tell Voldemort about Lupin." Draco nodded as he ran out of the room, his cloak billowing behind him. Harry helped Remus stand back up.

"I thought we were going to wait to tell Voldemort," said Remus. "Did something happen? Well, other than my house being broken into." Samantha bit her lip, looking to Severus. Remus frowned.

"What is going on?" he asked. "There's something you're not telling me. Something big."

"Oh, it's big alright," muttered Samantha.

"I think it's time I told you the truth, Remus," said Harry. He looked to Severus, who sighed and nodded.

"You'd probably be safer in the drawing room," said Severus. "I'll be back as soon as I'm through."

"Through with what?" cried Remus. "What the hell is going on?"

"Come on, Remus," said Harry. "I promise everything will be explained." Severus followed them out, ignoring the daggers that Remus was shooting at him. He went back upstairs, retrieving the book out of his desk drawer. He sat on the stairs, rereading the passage on the spell. He mentally rehearsed the incantation and wand movement, making sure he could perform them flawlessly and without hesitation. Walking back down to the room where he stored the trunk, he paused outside of the door to put up Occlumency walls. He opened the door and walked inside, shutting the door behind him.

He drew his wand, eyeing the chest cautiously. Taking a deep breath, Severus began the incantation, moving his wand in precise movements around the chest. The trunk began to glow a dark green, the light becoming stronger and brighter as he continued the spell. A white smoke emanated from the crack where the lid met the main part of the chest, coalescing into a ghostly resemblance of a face with hollow eyes and a thin mouth. Severus completed the spell, casting the strongest shield he knew as the white essence shattered and forced him to the floor. A loud wailing filled the room as the white mist tried to break through his shield. Severus held his wand with both hands, gritting his teeth at the screeching. As suddenly as it had started, the screaming faded into silence as the mist dissipated. Severus panted as he carefully released his shield charm. The chest sat dully in the middle of the room, the green glow nowhere to be seen. He closed his eyes, lowering his Occlumency walls slowly, waiting to see if his Mark burned. He felt nothing. Smiling softly to himself, he stood on shaky legs and made his way down the hall to the drawing room.

He walked in to find Remus a sickly shade of green. Samantha was sitting across from him, while Harry stood in front of them.

"Severus," said Remus, his eyes wide. "I - I don't know what to say."

"Then say nothing," said Severus softly, his tone lacking its usual bite. Remus shook his head and gave the man a small smile.

"Amazing," whispered Remus, looking to Harry and sitting back in his chair. "Simply amazing. Only Albus Dumbledore would plan his own death. Who else knows about these Horcruxes besides you three?"

"Draco knows, obviously," said Severus.

"Ron and Hermione knew," said Harry softly. "Elias told Ginny and Rachel after the funerals."

"And those are the _only_ people who know," said Severus. He gave Remus a stern glare. "We'd prefer if you didn't go blabbing this to everyone in the Order just yet."

"We're going to have to tell them soon," said Harry. "Before the attack on Hogwarts, they're going to have to know."

"Attack on Hogwarts?" said Remus. "What are you talking about?"

"Draco has heard rumors of an attack on the school for next month," said Severus wearily. "We don't have any details on it yet, as Draco is still not a part of the Inner Circle. Hopefully, telling Voldemort you're our Secret Keeper will get him into the Circle. It will also get Pettigrew in some trouble, as he tried to kill you." Severus smirked.

"If we only have a month, we should start working on the details we do have," said Remus. "We can at least do that much while we wait for Draco to get into position." Severus nodded. He walked over to the desk, grabbing several rolls of parchment, quills and ink.

"Come with me," said Severus. Samantha raised her eyebrows at Remus as they and Harry followed him to the kitchen. They all sat next to Severus at the table, eyeing the rough sketches that he was hastily drawing. Severus handed one to each of them

"I need you to mark every single secret passageway or entry point that you can think of for each of those sections of the castle," said Severus. "If Voldemort sends his entire legion of Death Eaters attacking at once, we need to watch any obvious entryways carefully."

"Don't forget, we'll have the Map as well," said Harry as he began to mark on the parchment. "Every single one of them will show up as soon as they step onto the grounds."

"The Map could be fooled," said Severus.

"Not very easily," said Remus. "We made it to catch most disguises."

"It knew that the person we thought was Moody was really Crouch in my fourth year," said Harry. "It also picked up Pettigrew in his animagus form my third year."

"Merlin," breathed Severus. He turned to Remus. "That thing must've taken you months to create."

"Try years," said Remus as he placed another black X on his parchment. "We had to modify a lot of charms and spells to get that thing to work properly. We even got Lily to help us, although she never knew why we asked her about certain things."

"Yeah," said Samantha. "Lily asked me if I knew anything about what you were up to, but I never did find anything out. It bothered us for the longest time to not know what you were doing." She handed her parchment to Severus. "I'll be back in a little while. I want to let the girls know what happened." She grabbed a few sheets of parchment and left the room.

Remus grinned as he handed his parchment to Severus. Harry flicked his eyes over it and took it from Severus's hand, placing a large X over a bathroom on the second floor.

"That one's not on the Map," said Harry with a rueful smile. Severus smirked and set the parchment back on the table.

"What are you talking about?" said Remus as he leaned over the parchment. "The second floor girls' bathroom? The only thing in there is Moaning Myrtle. She's hardly a threat."

"But the reason she haunts that particular bathroom is," said Severus.

"That's where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is," said Harry casually. "I don't know that Voldemort can get to it from the outside though."

"Oh," said Remus softly. "Right. Good job, Harry." He stood from the table, walking over to the window and gazing out over the deserted street. "How long will it take us to plan a counterattack?"

"A while," said Severus as he spread out the parchments on the table. "We won't have any specifics until I hear from Draco. But we will need everybody we've got and then some."

"I can try and contact Neville and Luna," said Harry. "They would be willing to help us. Maybe McGonagall could talk to Neville's grandmother, too."

"Yes," said Severus thoughtfully. "Augusta Longbottom was head of MLE before Amelia took over."

"She retired when Frank and Alice were attacked," said Remus quietly. "But she was an excellent Auror in her day before she was head of the department, from what I've heard from Moody." He paused in thought, staring out the window. "Harry, are there any others from the D.A. that might be willing to help us?"

"Not any that have actually fought in hand-to-hand combat," said Harry. "Neville and Luna were with me at the Department of Mysteries and fought the Death Eaters in the castle the night Dumbledore died. They're the only ones I would trust to keep a cool head. Maybe Fred and George can talk to Alicia Spinnet and Angelina Johnson. Ginny says they've all been dating on and off since the girls graduated." Remus nodded.

"We're going to miss Ron and Hermione," said Remus softly. Severus nodded in agreement.

"Rachel and Ginny are ready now," said Harry. "We can get a hold of Charlie and any of his friends that he can convince. Who else?"

"Flitwick," said Severus. "He was at the attack on Hogsmeade in the fall. Even then, we're still short on people." Severus sat back in his chair, tapping his lips with his finger. "We may have no choice but to call in Auror reinforcements from outside the Order."

"No, no way," said Harry angrily. "We cannot rely on the Ministry to believe us, especially considering our source for the information. Besides, what would happen if you and Elias are arrested?"

"We'll wait until the battle has already started," said Remus. He turned to meet Severus's gaze, sharing a look of understanding and resignation. "Kingsley can easily call them in, if they don't immediately show up when the wards are breached."

"And _if_ we're arrested," said Severus. "We would have to rely on the testimony of others to save us from a life sentence. Perhaps Draco and I can bargain with them for detailed testimony on the other Death Eaters."

"Mum's not going to like this," said Harry.

"Not going to like what?" asked Samantha as she came back into the kitchen with a vial of Invigorating Draught for Remus. She stopped upon seeing Remus and Severus's grave expressions. "What's wrong?"

"We were discussing the possibility of having to call in outside enforcements for this attack," said Severus. "And what would happen should Draco and I be arrested." Samantha's face paled. She grabbed the back of Harry's chair tightly.

"We'll have to get you both out of there before the Aurors arrived," said Samantha. "We could then work on getting your names cleared. Minerva was appointed to the Wizengamot at the beginning of the year. Maybe she can help us."

"Possibly," said Severus. "She would be of great assistance to us." He turned back to Remus. "Call an Order meeting for next week, Lupin, preferably later in the evening if you can. I need Draco to be here if at all possible." Remus walked towards the fireplace, grabbing some floo powder off the mantle.

"See you all next week, then," said Remus. "I'll be at the Hog's Head since I can't go back to my house. I'll go back now and pack all my personal things." He threw the powder into the grate, disappearing in a flash of green flame. The room fell silent, the clock on the wall ticking loudly. The three of them sat quietly, and jumped slightly when Draco's panther patronus shot threw the wall. Severus touched his wand to the patronus quickly, grabbing the parchment that shot out.

_I've been officially promoted. We start planning for the attack this weekend. Will keep you posted. I will not be able to be at the 12 much before the attack, but will do my best to drop by. Give my love to Mum and James._

_Elias_


	32. Chapter 32

**_A/N: Thanks to all who are reading this story! Please review and give me your thoughts!_**

**Chapter 32- The Beginning of the End**

_In peace there's nothing so becomes a man as modest stillness and humility; But when the blast of war blows in our ears, then imitate the action of the tiger; Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood, disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage.- William Shakespeare, Henry V_

The Order meeting was set for the next Friday at 10pm. Severus, Samantha and Harry sat around the table, listening to the clock in the hallway chime the hour. The floo flared green and Ginny stumbled out of the hearth, followed by Rachel and Remus. Samantha rose and took their cloaks, draping them over a broken chair that sat in the corner of the room.

"McGonagall's debriefing the Longbottoms, Luna and Flitwick now," said Remus. "They'll be here soon. Of course, we'll have to debrief everyone on these Horcrux things."

"Oh joy," said Harry, who sat at the head of the table, nervously tapping his fingers on the tabletop. The floo flared many times, spewing forth the Weasleys, Tonks, Kingsley, and a very ruffled Moody. The rest of the Order came through the floo soon after in smaller groups, as Remus had told everyone to avoid apparating if they could. After another fifteen minutes, the rest of the Order had arrived, including a very anxious Neville and a strangely alert Luna. Severus stood up and cleared his throat.

"Thank you all for coming tonight," he said. "And welcome to those of you who are new to our group. We have much to plan this evening. We have received news on another huge attack. The target will be Hogwarts."

"What?" gasped McGonagall. "He means to attack the school?"

"It's an enormous feat to attempt," said Arthur. "What purpose is there for doing this, when he could just as easily attack other, less fortified buildings?"

"Voldemort has always had a fascination with Hogwarts," said Harry. He looked to Severus, who nodded and retook his seat as Harry rose. "I have some things to tell you about what we've been doing for the past year since Dumbledore died. Actually, Dad and – sorry – Severus and I have been doing this since _before_ Dumbledore died." Remus grinned at Severus, who simply raised an eyebrow at him. Samantha bit her lip to hide a huge grin.

Harry took a deep breath and exhaled, running a hand through his hair. Ginny grabbed his other hand, giving him a small smile. He kissed the back of her hand and began.

"Beginning after the battle at the Department of Mysteries, Dumbledore began gathering information on Voldemort when he was still known as Tom Riddle," said Harry. "He was looking for information on how to defeat him for good. He found that Voldemort had created Horcruxes, using his murder victims to split his soul into separate parts, so that if he was ever hit with a Killing Curse, he could be resurrected." An uncomfortable silence descended on the room. "We had to find all of these Horcruxes before we could kill Voldemort. Dumbledore found one inside Slytherin's ring summer before last and destroyed it. He found out that the diary Lucius Malfoy put in Ginny's cauldron her first year was also a Horcrux. I destroyed that one after killing the Basilisk. The night that the Dark Mark was seen--" Harry paused as Draco came rushing into the kitchen, breathing heavily.

"Sorry I'm late," he said to Severus as he took off his cloak and tossed it on top of the others in the corner. Harry smiled at him.

"It's okay, bro," said Harry, ignoring the shocked faces of McGonagall and Moody at the form of address. "I'm just filling everybody in on the Horcruxes."

"Excellent," said Draco as he sat next to Rachel, taking her hand in his.

"Now, where was I?" muttered Harry. "Oh. Right. So, the night the Dark Mark was seen over the castle, Dumbledore and I were off looking for another Horcrux, specifically a locket that Riddle's mother had in her possession. It had been passed down from Salazar Slytherin himself. We got the necklace and came back, but Dumbledore was in bad shape. We met Rosmerta in Hogsmeadeand heard about the Dark Mark. We rushed back to the castle."

"Albus had told me about the Horcruxes the summer before," said Severus. "I had to help him with a curse he suffered when he destroyed the ring. That was what happened to his hand. Meanwhile, I had sworn the Unbreakable Vow to Narcissa, which bound me to staying inside the Inner Circle."

"I had no idea about the Vow's contents," said Draco. "I thought that Dad was simply trying to steal the limelight in order to gain more favor with the Dark Lord. I told him nothing of the attempts I made on Dumbledore's life."

"Albus and I argued almost constantly all year," said Severus. "He made me promise to keep playing both sides, even if it meant killing him in the end so that Draco wouldn't have to and also so that we would have a way to know if Voldemort was aware of what we were doing with his Horcruxes. He made me Secret Keeper for the Order and Headquarters right after Christmas, just in case I needed to get Draco and any others into Headquarters for any reason. I didn't find out until a couple of months ago that Lupin was also made Secret Keeper."

"So," continued Harry, "Dad killed Dumbledore according to Dumbledore's own plan. If some of you doubt what we're telling you, I'm sure Headmistress McGonagall can arrange an appointment with Dumbledore's portrait for you." McGonagall shook her head, smiling at Harry.

"I knew Albus was up to something terribly important all year," said McGonagall. "He never would tell me what it was. Now I see why. I would have never let you go with him, Potter, had I known the extent to which Albus was involving you."

"You wouldn't have been alone," said Harry, looking fondly at Molly and Arthur. "Dumbledore allowed me to tell Ron and Hermione. They promised to help me look for the other Horcruxes after the funeral. The three of us decided that we weren't going back to Hogwarts until we had destroyed Voldemort. Dumbledore had told me that the locket, a cup that belonged to Hufflepuff, Voldemort's pet snake Nagini and another school relic were all used as Horcruxes, along with Voldemort himself being the final one. The locket we retrieved from the cave was actually a fake. It had a letter inside it signed with initials R.A.B. It wasn't until Mum and Dad looked at it that we figured out it was Regulus Black who had taken the real locket. That's when we went to Hogwarts to get more information on the others." Harry looked at McGonagall. "Sorry about breaking into your office, Professor." McGonagall waved her hand at him.

"Albus told us he had uncovered information about the cup being kept in Borgin and Burkes down Knockturn Alley," said Severus. "The locket we found here in the house among some things in the attic. Harry and I obtained the cup from Borgin's and brought it back here. Regulus had uncovered a potion that would destroy both of those objects. We brewed it and destroyed those Horcruxes in September."

"Through more research," said Harry. "We found out that the other Horcrux was actually a chest that had once belonged to Slytherin. He had given it to Ravenclaw before leaving the school."

Draco smirked at Harry, who returned it. "This chest had passed into the Malfoy family and was confiscated when the Ministry raided Malfoy Manor."

"And I mean to file a complaint about how that was done, by the way," said Draco, looking directly at Kingsley and Tonks. "The place was trashed. No consideration at all. And my furniture was gone. For Merlin's sake, the furniture could have stayed in the house!"

"Hang on," said Tonks slowly. "That break back in October, that was _you_?"

"That was _us_," corrected Harry. "Draco contacted us about spying for the Order the middle of September. That's when Ron and Hermione moved back to the Burrow. They didn't want to be around Draco, who was going to be here for spy training with Dad. We informed him about what we were doing, and he helped us break into the Manor to make sure the chest was really gone from the house. It was, but we triggered the alarms on our way out."

"There were alarm wards on all the outside doors, along with Anti-Apparition wards on the house itself," said Tonks. "But there was one door we couldn't ward from both sides. That must have been the door you went out."

"That door is voice activated and passworded," said Draco. "One of my grandfather's ideas."

"Right," said Harry. "We knew the chest had to be at the Ministry. We decided to wait on that one and try to kill Nagini first. Severus brewed a fast-acting poison that will disintegrate the snake. Sam put a time-release charm on it. Draco and I transfigured a vial of it and dropped it at a Death Eater meeting. I got the snake to eat it, so that one is taken care of."

"Wait just a minute!" cried Molly, her face red. "You mean to tell me that you _both_ went to the meeting to drop this thing?"

"Well, I didn't really have a choice about going," said Draco. He shut his mouth, quickly realizing his error as Molly stood up sharply from the table, glaring at both of them.

"Molly, please calm down," said Samantha soothingly. "Severus and I both talked to the boys about their reckless behavior. They were punished, I can assure you." Draco frowned at her, feeling the top of his head.

"Right," sighed Harry in relief as Molly retook her seat. "So the snake will die as soon as the charm is cancelled. With the snake taken care of, Draco brought us information about the attack at Hogsmeade. After Ron and Hermione's funerals, we decided that we needed to find the chest before Voldemort found out what we were doing. We broke into the Auror files to see where in the Ministry it was stored."

"Bloody hell," said Kingsley, looking at Samantha. "Ives, you could be imprisoned for abusing your clearance like that."

"Believe me, Kingsley," said Samantha. "It gets worse." His eyes widened, looking to Severus's smug face.

"We found out where the chest was in the Ministry storage cells," said Harry. "Dad, Draco and I broke in and stole it back. Draco and I triggered the alarms when we disapparated out with it. Severus got back a few minutes later."

"And I would like to mention the fact that if certain spells are cast in there, the entire building would explode," said Severus sternly. "The Aurors have no idea what they've got in there, and most of the contents of that room are improperly stored."

"Well, we'll just bring you in and let you fix it for us," growled Moody. "You sure seem to be the resident expert on these kinds of things." Severus narrowed his eyes at him.

"We got the chest," said Harry forcefully, glaring at the two men, "and brought it back here. The magic was so strong that it killed Kretcher. Severus destroyed it last week, bringing us back to the attack on the school. As soon as we kill Nagini, Voldemort becomes just like any one of us, who can be killed in any number of ways."

The entire room sat in shocked silence. Draco reached over and picked up an apple out of the fruit bowl still on the table. He bit into it loudly. Rachel glared at him. Draco grinned at her as he took another loud bite. Suddenly, McGonagall chuckled.

"Good Lord, I'm getting too old for this kind of thing," she said. She took off her glasses, rubbing her eyes. She put them back on and gazed at Severus. "Severus, I owe you an apology."

"That will not be necessary," said Severus quickly, looking down at the table.

"It is _very_ necessary," said McGonagall. "Some of us have done you a great injustice by not trusting your loyalty to Albus. I always thought Albus asked too much of you." Severus looked up at her, stunned. She smiled at him. "Yet, you showed more faith in Albus's plan than any of us ever did. And for that, we owe you everything." Severus sat back in his seat, flabbergasted at the many smiles coming his way.

"Wow," said Neville. "How did all of this go on, and _no one_ know about it?" Harry smiled at him. "All those meetings you had with Dumbledore last year -- I remember Dean and Seamus talking about them one night, trying to figure out what you had done to be meeting with him. They would ask me if I knew, but I had no idea."

"And that, Neville, is the genius of a crazy old man," said Harry. "A crazy old man who was the most brilliant wizard I've ever had the pleasure of meeting." He looked down at the parchments that Samantha was spreading out on the table. "This will be the final battle between the side of Light and Lord Voldemort. I will take care of him, but I will need all of your help in taking care of everyone else." The occupants of the room exchanged meaningful glances and nods.

"Alright," said Arthur. "What's the plan?"

* * *

The Order members were broken up into teams, each with a specific entry point or main part of the castle to guard and protect. Arthur was to have his group guarding the dungeons, while Remus's group was to be stationed around the Whomping Willow. Flitwick's group would be in the secret passageway from Honeydukes; McGonagall, Neville and Luna's group would be on the seventh floor between McGonagall's office and the Room of Requirement. Madam Pomfrey was contacted to help with the wounded, along with a few friends of Order members and Augusta Longbottom, who had had some healer training. Harry, Severus, Samantha, Ginny and Rachel would be at the front doors, watching the gates. 

In the weeks that followed the meeting, Draco's panther patronus became a common sight around the 12. Many of the missives were one-lined, written in hurried handwriting:

_Wormtail's got a team entering from the Shrieking Shack. Tell Lupin to watch for him switching to his animagus form._

_Told them about secret passageway from Potions office. Mr. Weasley to move into the office to keep them from entering the castle proper?_

_Bella to use passageway from Honeydukes. Tell Flitwick and McGonagall to disarm her quick._

A few days before the attack, Severus received a patronus during breakfast. He took the parchment off the tip of his wand as Harry watched him, finishing his eggs and toast.

_I've been assigned to the Dark Lord's personal security detail for the attack. He's got a couple high-level curse breakers to work on the wards so that he can simply walk up to the front door. Won't he be surprised by the welcoming committee. He thinks the Order will not be there in time to stop him. I convinced him to bring the snake with him. That wretched thing is mine for the kill. I will join you after I dispatch our friend Nagini__. We're only as strong as we are united, right, James?_

_See you next week. My love to you all,_

_Elias_

"Damn," whispered Severus. He tossed the letter onto the table. Harry picked it up and read it quickly. He smiled and shook his head.

"Pretty gutsy move," said Harry. "Voldemort's going to be pissed."

"It is foolish to tempt Fate," said Severus sternly, pushing his empty plate away from him. "Anything could go wrong."

"You just have to trust him," said Harry. "He knows what he's doing. He wants to fight with us. And I'm not about to tell him he can't." Severus smirked at his own words being repeated back to him.

"And I thought bringing him here would make you more Slytherin," said Severus. Harry chuckled.

"No, you and Mum did that," said Harry. "It is dear Elias who was corrupted with Gryffindor recklessness." Harry's smile slipped slowly from his face. "No more deception. No more double lives. _Voldemort is mine_."

Severus stared at Harry, silently amazed at the determination and the hardness in the young man's gaze. He nodded.

"I think you've earned that right, James," he said softly. "You've more than earned it."

* * *

The day of the battle dawned bright and clear, the model of a perfect day for the middle of March. The House banners atop the Quidditch stadium stands fluttered gently in the light breeze. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry stood tall against a sky blue background, the grounds eerily quiet. Inside, however, the castle was teeming with activity. 

"Severus, we're going to need more blood replenisher and wound-cleansing potion," said Samantha as she took final counts of the medical supplies for Madam Pomfrey. Severus pulled large flasks out of his enlarged case, setting them on the table next to Samantha as Remus burst in the door.

"Sami, have you seen Doge? I'm trying to get my team set up outside, but I can't find him anywhere. I gave Ginny the Map."

"I think I saw him in the kitchens earlier," said Samantha. "The elves were going crazy since there were people in the castle again." Harry sat up from the bed he was lying on.

"The elves!" he cried, smacking himself on the forehead. Severus and Remus looked at him in confusion as Samantha finished her inventorying. Harry jumped up from the bed.

"DOBBY!" he shouted. A strangely dressed house-elf appeared immediately.

"Does Harry Potter be needing something?" said Dobby. Harry knelt down in front of the elf.

"Yes, Dobby," said Harry. "I need something very important. I need your help."

"Dobby will do anything for Harry Potter, sir!" cried Dobby, his eyes shining with tears.

"I need you and the other house-elves to help us fight the Death Eaters," said Harry. Dobby swallowed visibly. "We will need all the help we can get. If they get in, we will be in very bad trouble. Get the elves to spread out all over the castle. We need them all captured. Do you understand?"

"Dobby will get the others to help," said Dobby, nodding his head emphatically. "Yes, we will help Harry Potter."

"Thank you, Dobby," said Harry. He stood back up as Dobby disappeared with a loud crack. Remus shook his head ruefully.

"The boy is brilliant," said Remus.

"Of course he is," said Severus disdainfully as Remus ran out of the room. Harry grinned at Severus, who returned the smile and winked at him. Harry jumped when Draco's patronus shot through the wall. Severus received the patronus.

_10am. Be ready. It will be swift._

Severus pointed his wand at his throat.

"EVERYONE TO THEIR ASSIGNED PLACES IMMEDIATELY," said Severus, his voice magically magnified throughout the school's halls. "THE ATTACK WILL BEGIN IN LESS THAN FIFTEEN MINUTES." He pointed his wand at his throat once more, canceling the charm.

"To the entrance hall," said Severus. The sun pouring in through the windows of the infirmary reflected brightly off the dagger hanging by his side as he slipped on his wand holster and ran out of the hospital wing. Harry and Samantha followed him closely as he jogged down the halls towards the entrance hall. Ginny and Rachel were standing guard with Kingsley when they arrived.

"I'll be nearby," said Kingsley as the others arrived. "As soon as the protective wards go down, our altered Anti-Apparition wards should spring up immediately, but I'll personally make sure that the ones between here and the gate at reinforced."

"Thank you, Kingsley," said Severus as Kingsley disillusioned himself and made his way down the path towards Hogsmeade.

"We ready?" asked Rachel, keeping her eyes on the gates down the road. Harry drew his wand and stood next to Ginny, watching the Map.

"We'd better be." He looked up, pointing to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. "They're here early." Ginny tapped the Map, folding it and placing it in her pocket. A great boom was heard from above them, the shock shaking them where they stood.

"What the hell was that?" cried Ginny, looking up. A bright red tinge was spreading rapidly from the top of the towers down towards the doors.

"The protection wards," said Severus grimly. Harry turned quickly at the sound of fighting in the hall behind him. He flicked his wand at a black cloak, sending them hard into the wall behind them, while Rachel hit another with a stunner as house-elves came pouring out from the Great Hall to help. Severus could hear Arthur's yelling directions over the crashing of spells. After only a scant thirty minutes, the wards around the castle fell with surprising ease. Severus grabbed Harry's shoulder, pointing with his wand down past the gates at the four black-cloaked figures who had just appeared and werewalking unhurriedly down the road from Hogsmeade to the castle.

"He is here," said Severus.


	33. Chapter 33

_**A/N: The requisite battle at Hogwarts, my friends...**_

**_Oh, Hagrid. Yes...umm...would you believe me if I said I completely forgot about the entire Hagrid/giant plotline? So...yeah. Unfortunately, this version of the battle will not have Hagrid playing a role at all. I'm planning on going back through the entirety of S and A over Thanksgiving and will add a lil somethin' somethin' about Hagrid. Until then, you'll have to endure a Hagrid-less battle...my apologies._**

**Chapter 33- Parting Words**

_Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.- Napoleon Bonaparte_

For the five of them, time slowed to a halt as they watched Voldemort walk nonchalantly up the road from the train station and easily through the open gates. The three other cloaked figures followed solemnly, keeping pace with the tall figure in their midst.

"Wait for my signal," said Harry softly. "Watch my back and each other's. If they get past Mr. Weasley and the elves, we'll have fighting on both sides." He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Ginny kissed his cheek.

"We're all right behind you, Harry," she said. "I love you."

"I love you, too," whispered Harry. He smiled at her as he walked out in front of them. He came to a stop at the bottom of the front steps and drew his wand. Voldemort came to a halt ten meters away, Nagini curled around his thin body. The three Death Eaters drew their wands as well. Severus could see Draco's pale hair from beneath his hood.

"Mr. Potter," said Voldemort loudly. "What a pleasure to see you today. Makes the occasion all the more exciting."

"And what occasion would that be, Tom?" said Harry coolly. Severus felt Samantha tense beside him and reached out his hand, taking her shaking one in his. They watched silently as Nagini slithered down and curled up on the ground between Harry and Voldemort.

"Why, haven't you noticed?" said Voldemort mockingly. "Today begins my total conquest of the Wizarding World. You pathetic Phoenixers will be crushed beneath my feet and Hogwarts," he grinned evilly, "will be _mine_." He looked past Harry to the front doors. "Of course, you've brought some friends to watch. Severus, come to see the show? Did you come to see what you gave up?"

Severus smirked cruelly. "In a sense, that is _exactly_ what I came to see."

Voldemort threw back his head, his bone-chilling laughter echoing over the grounds.

"You are a fool!" shouted Voldemort. He turned to look to the Death Eaters beside him just in time to see two of his three bodyguards fall to the ground in body binds. Draco lifted his mask, dropping a knee beside the fallen Death Eaters. He recoiled as both Death Eaters began to choke, blood bubbling up in their mouths as they gasped for air. Voldemort growled as he sneered at Severus, who lowered his wand slightly.

"Very nice, Severus," said Voldemort. "But you seem to have missed one." He turned to Draco. "My young Dragon, will you be so kind as to show your dear godfather some of what _you_ have learned since he betrayed me?"

Draco grinned, his grey eyes shining.

"With pleasure," he said softly. He drew his wand, pointing it at Severus. Draco turned suddenly, pointing his wand to Nagini and fired a spell at the snake, canceling the time-release charm on the poison. The snake writhed on the ground as the potion took effect. Its skin melted off into the grass as a shrieking filled the grounds. Draco moved over to stand beside Harry as the screaming died, his wand leveled at a shocked Voldemort.

"So tell me, Tom," said Harry. "How many of your followers are you going to have to lose in order to see that _you_ are the one that has chosen the wrong side?"

"You think you are so clever, Potter," spat Voldemort as he drew his wand. "But you have no idea of the precautions I have taken, the lengths that I have gone to in order to assure my immortality." Severus saw faint footsteps in the grass out of the corner of his eye. He felt the tingle of the Anti-Apparition wards being fortified over them as Voldemort continued.

"You will never defeat me, Potter," said Voldemort. "I can _never_ die. I have made sure of that."

"Oh," said Harry, as if just grasping a new idea. "You're talking about your Horcruxes, right?" Voldemort's eyes widened slightly. "Oh yeah, I've known about them since last year." Harry glared hatefully at Voldemort. "What do you think I've been doing since the school was forced to close, thanks to you?" He took a step towards the side as Draco took one in the other direction. Voldemort flicked his eyes between them, keeping his wand on Harry.

"They're all gone, Tom," said Harry. "The diary, you knew about." Voldemort glared murderously at Draco. "Dumbledore destroyed the ring that belonged to your grandfather, Marvolo. We destroyed the locket that belonged to your mother and the cup that you stole from Hepzibah Smith. The chest from Ravenclaw was a bit harder to find, but Draco here helped us out with that one." Draco smirked at Voldemort.

"And you saw what just happened to your pet snake," said Harry. "So face it, Tom - you don't really have much to brag about now. You're back to being plain old Tom Marvolo Riddle. You are the last remnant of Lord Voldemort. And after today, you will be nothing more than a dark memory." Voldemort grinned evilly at Harry.

"Bravo, Harry," said Voldemort. "Bravo. I must applaud you for a job well done." The smile faded away quickly. "But you have no Dumbledore to hide behind now, Potter. You think this is _my_ end? You are mistaken. It will be –"

Harry fired a spell at Voldemort before he could finish his sentence, starting the duel. Draco joined Harry as Severus turned to look into the entrance hall.

"Girls! Turn around!" he cried as he fired off stunners at the Death Eaters that were overwhelming Arthur and his team. There were elves scattered all along the hall, viciously slaughtered with nasty hexes. Rachel and Ginny immediately joined the fray, firing curses and hexes. Severus ran past Samantha towards the flashes of light on the road.

"Severus!" cried Samantha. "Where are you going?"

"I want a piece of him," growled Severus. "Help the girls." He jogged down to the duel, amazed at the boys' reflexes. They stood side by side, firing at Voldemort.

"Yes, join us, Severus," shouted Voldemort as he blocked both spells from Harry and Draco. Severus fired off a complicated string of hexes, only to have to dodge them after they rebounded off of Voldemort's shield. Draco was knocked off his feet as Harry fired spell after spell at Voldemort, who paried each curse with an appropriate shield, taking care not to have the spells meet in mid-air. The sun glinted off of Harry's dagger into Severus's eyes. Severus's eyes widened as he patted his own side, feeling the gem-encrusted hilt in his sheath. Severus swiftly drew his dagger. A lifetime of hatred welled up inside him as he took the blade in his hand and threw it as hard as he could at the snakelike creature in front of him. Voldemort screamed in agony as the blade stuck in his chest. Draco immediately bound him with the fire whip charm.

"NOW JAMES!" shouted Severus. Harry had already lifted his wand, watching the top of the castle. There was the sound of shattering glass from a seventh floor window and a bright gleam raced towards them. Harry held out his hand and grabbed the ruby-encrusted hilt of the sword that had once before saved his life. With one swift movement, he plunged the sword of Godric Gryffindor into Voldemort's heaving chest. Severus summoned the yew wand from the skeletal hand, sticking it in his own holster. Voldemort fell to his knees, choking and gasping from the wound to his chest, his skin charring from the fire whip. He looked back up into Harry's cold eyes, the redness fading from the slanted eye sockets.

"How does it feel to have your life ripped from you?" hissed Harry as he twisted the blade. None of them heard the many pops of apparating Aurors by the gates as they stared at the vile creature groaning at Harry's feet. "How does it feel, Tom, to know that you will never be coming back? No more possessing people and draining their life. No more loyal subjects to do your bidding. You will become nothing more than dust on the ground." Harry withdrew the sword and swung it one last time. A bald, hairless head rolled away as Voldemort's body fell heavily to the ground.

"Damn, bro," whispered Draco as he canceled his charm. Severus raced over as Harry collapsed to his knees.

"It's over," said Harry softly. Severus smiled, holding Harry's head in his hands.

"Yes, James," whispered Severus. "You did very, very well." He looked up at Draco, who was still looking in shock at the sword in Harry's hands. All of the sudden, Draco broke out in loud cheering. Severus burst out laughing. He turned to see Samantha and the girls racing out towards them. He stood and ran towards Samantha, sweeping her up in his arms and twirling her in the air, laughing ecstatically. Draco ran up to Rachel, passionately kissing her as she wrapped her arms around him. Ginny rushed over to Harry, taking him into her arms. All six of them froze at the loud clearing of a throat.

"Well, well, well," said Gawain Robards as he stepped towards Severus and Draco. "Two of the most wanted men in Britain right here for the taking." He motioned to the team of Aurors behind him. "Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy, you are under arrest."

"No!" cried Samantha as several Aurors grabbed Severus's arms, violently pulling him away from Samantha. The Aurors disarmed him, pushing him to the ground as they placed his arms behind him and cuffed him with magical restraints. Rachel stood between Draco and a swarm of Aurors, pointing her wand at them. She was hit with several stinging hexes, causing her to cry out in pain.

"Why, you bastard!" shouted Draco as he swung his fist at one of the Aurors who fired the spell, connecting solidly with the Auror's face. The other Aurors quickly disarmed Draco. A huge, bulky Auror punched Draco in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him as his arms were wrenched behind him and secured tightly.

"You can't arrest them!" shouted Harry as he ran to Robards. "They've been fighting on our side!"

"Mr. Potter," said Robards harshly. "Restrain yourself. These men have committed atrocities you know nothing about."

"James, it's alright," said Severus as the Aurors pushed him away from Samantha. He looked to Samantha. "I love you, Sam." The Aurors dragged him and Draco down to the gates, disapparating into thin air. Ginny put her arms around Rachel, who broke into tears.

"GODDAMN IT!" screamed Harry, his face red in anger. He spun around to a now-visible Kingsley, who lifted up his hands in front of him as he walked towards Harry.

"Harry, calm down," said Kingsley shakily. Samantha felt the hair on her arms and the back of her neck stand on end as Harry radiated anger. Harry took a shaky breath and let it out, dispelling the energy around him. He turned to where Voldemort's body still lay bleeding on the ground. He flicked his wand at it, setting it on fire and watching until the body was nothing but ashes. He conjured a small black urn, directing the ashes into it with his wand. He muttered a fierce _evanesco _and the urn vanished.

"Kingsley, what's the damage?" asked Harry dully. Kingsley flicked his eyes to Samantha before pulling a sheet of parchment out of his cloak.

"Madam Pomfrey sent me this just now," said Kingsley. "We lost Flitwick and Doge in the attacks through the passageways. Longbottom was pretty beat up, but he'll be alright in a few days. Tonks got hit with a bone breaking curse. Her leg's torn up, but Madam Pomfrey sent her on to St. Mungo's. Remus-"

Harry's eyes widened as he spun around. Samantha and Rachel looked over to Kingsley, horrified.

"What happened to Remus?" said Harry quickly. Kingsley avoided his gaze. "Kingsley?"

"Remus and Pettigrew got into it near the Whomping Willow," said Kingsley as he read the parchment. "That damn silver hand - Pettigrew somehow got in contact with an open wound. It caused Remus quite a bit of pain, but Remus got him in the end. Pettigrew's dead."

"Oh my God!" cried Samantha. "Will Remus be okay?"

"I'm not sure," said Kingsley as he scanned the rest of the document. "Madam Pomfrey sent him to St. Mungo's, but she sounds pretty hopeful.Says she was lacking a specific potion or she would have healed him herself." Harry ran a hand through his hair, exhaling loudly.

"What about the other Death Eaters?" asked Harry. "I sure as hell hope we got some of them."

"We got all of the ones still alive, thanks to the house-elves," said Kingsley with a small smile. "We've got to get them out here, which we'll do as soon as I get reinforcements from London. We'd like to keep the press out for as long as possible."

"Oh great," said Harry, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "I forgot about the press. We need to get out of here now."

"You're going to have to say something eventually," said Ginny softly. "Some sort of press release."

"We're going to be hounded too," said Samantha. "Fellow crusaders with the famous Harry Potter. What reporter could resist?" Harry swore under his breath.

"Go on home, Harry," said Kingsley. "We'll get everything settled here. I'll go back to the Ministry with Arthur and Moody and see what we can do to get our boys out." He offered his hand to Harry, who took it. "Thank you so much, Harry. You've given everyone their lives back."

"It was a group effort, Kingsley," said Harry. "Let us know any details on Severus and Draco."

"I will," said Kingsley. "Ladies, take care of him for us."

"We will, Kingsley," said Ginny as she grabbed Harry's hand. Kingsley turned away and walked towards Arthur, who was standing in the entrance hall.

"Come on," said Samantha. "Let's get out of here." They were about to apparate when McGonagall appeared at the front doors.

"Potter!" she cried as she ran out after them, levitating a package behind her. He gave her a questioning look.

"Headmistress," said Harry. He stumbled slightly as she thrust the package into his arms, along with a couple of rolls of parchment.

"If I know Albus, I'm sure these will be very useful to us in the next few weeks," said McGonagall breathlessly. "I received them late last night from Gringott's. I don't know what's in it, but one of those scrolls is addressed to you. I'm sure it explains everything."

Harry grinned at her.

"Hopefully it's explained clearly and not in riddles," he said. McGonagall smiled at him. He turned to go when McGonagall stopped him again.

"Oh, and Mr. Potter," said McGonagall with a huge smile. He turned to look at her, raising an eyebrow. "You, Miss Weasley and Mr. Malfoy should start revising. I have a feeling that N.E.W.T. testing will occur in a few months." He gave her an impish grin.

"We will, Professor," said Harry. The four of them walked down to the gates, disapparating to Grimmauld Square.

* * *

The 12 was in chaos for the rest of the day, with Order members dropping by every hour with updated information from the Ministry and St. Mungo's. Harry, Rachel and Ginny spent the day in Harry's room, going over the scroll that Dumbledore left for Harry. Kingsley arrived just as Molly and Samantha were finishing dinner for the Order members who had stayed around.

"Where's Harry?" he asked wearily as he stepped out of the floo. Molly handed him a cup of coffee, which he took gratefully.

"He's upstairs, why?" answered Samantha. Kingsley took a sip of coffee.

"The press is clamoring for a statement from him," said Kingsley. "I swear if they knew he was here, they'd be swarming the house. I'm sure the Burrow is being staked out as we speak. The Ministry is overrun with reporters. Scrimgeour is furious."

"I don't want to be giving interviews for the rest of my life," said Harry from the doorway. Kingsley nodded at him as he came into the room. He gave Samantha and Molly a kiss on the cheek as he sat down at the table. "But I sure don't want to give any interviews before Severus and Draco go on trial. There's too much information that could really screw us over if it was leaked early."

"I'm trying to get them to be tried first," said Kingsley. "If we can get both of them cleared, they can simply give us testimony against the others. That would speed up the prosecution process immensely. We've got fifty Death Eaters in custody right now. It would take us years to get through them if all we've got is hearsay and circumstantial evidence. You can't beat eyewitness proof."

"We've been working on that this afternoon," said Harry. "Dumbledore left me a letter saying that I should be the only witness and to bring the package he left."

"Even from beyond the grave, the man is infuriating," said Samantha as she put her face into her hands. Molly put a hand on her shoulder.

"Albus would have never let Severus be sent to prison if he could help it," said Molly. "We'll just have to trust him."

"We've got it all worked out," said Ginny. "Harry's thinks he knows what's in the package. If he's right, we're golden."

"No worries, Mum," said Harry. He turned to Kingsley. "Is there any way I can go and see Dad?" Kingsley looked at his watch.

"You should be able to," said Kingsley. "Those representing the accused can visit at any time. You'll have to go through MLE though, so you might want to go in disguise if you can or you'll never get through. They might even give you some more information about his trial." Harry stood up, touching his forehead with his wand and casting his glamour. He gave Ginny a kiss and walked over to the fireplace.

"I'll be back later," said Harry. "I've got my bracelet on if you need me, Mum." Samantha smiled at him.

"Tell Severus I'll be by tomorrow," she said. Harry nodded as he grabbed some floo powder and threw it into the grate.

"Ministry of Magic, Atrium level!"

* * *

Severus sat against the wall, listening to the sound of water drip from the ceiling to the floor. The miserable excuse for a holding cell was completely dark save for the light coming in from the small barred window in the door. The room was frigid in its dampness. He was worried about Samantha and about what was going on. _Of all the times for Albus not to be here,_ thought Severus. _What are we going to do now?_

The door screamed on its hinges as the burly Auror stationed outside pushed it open. Severus held out his hands for the magical shackles that the Auror snapped around his wrists. He stood and followed the huge man out of the cell and down the hall. The Auror pushed open a blank door, motioning for Severus to go inside. He sat at the white table as the Auror shut the door. The silence in the room was deafening, a low buzzing that became steadily louder as Severus tried to ignore it. After several minutes, the door opened again and the Auror ushered in a tall, thin young man with dirty blond hair and silver-rimmed glasses. He smiled at Severus, who returned it.

"James," said Severus in relief as the Auror shut the door once more. "How's Sam?" Harry walked over and sat in the chair opposite Severus.

"She's okay. Said to tell you she'd be by tomorrow. How are you?" asked Harry, eyeing Severus worriedly. "You look awful. Are they treating you okay?"

"They don't treat anyone here 'okay,' James," said Severus harshly. "I'm actually surprised I'm not waiting in Azkaban while they set a trial date."

"They've already set one," said Harry. "I talked to the guy they've put in charge of your case before coming down here. They've set it for next week. That idiot Scrimgeour thinks that you and Elias could escape if you were at Azkaban, so they're keeping you here until the trial starts. You'll be tried together, so at least that works to our advantage." Severus raised an eyebrow at him, sitting back in his chair.

"My, my, you have been busy this afternoon," said Severus softly. Harry smirked at him.

"We've all been busy," said Harry. "Kingsley and Moody worked really hard to get us the best possible scenario for the trials. No one is talking to the press. The entire Ministry's under gag order not to say anything. I'm waiting to give my statement until after the trial, as are the rest of the Order."

"Trial," muttered Severus, raking his hand shakily through his hair. "I thought when I had the one back after Voldemort fell the first time, that it would be my last. Albus convinced the entire Wizengamot of my innocence. I don't know if we can do that again." Harry grinned at him.

"Never say never," said Harry, his eyes twinkling madly. "McGonagall gave me some stuff that Dumbledore left for us. If it's what I think it is, and I can't say for sure because I can't open it, but if it is, Dumbledore will once again be convincing everyone of your innocence. I think since my name will pull considerable weight now, I can get Elias off scot-free as well. McGonagall will help us out as much as she can. It will probably be the press event of the century."

"Oh, wonderful," said Severus tiredly. "I love being in the paper, since I'm so photogenic." Harry laughed at him.

"I'm sure Elias will love every minute of it," said Harry, grinning. The door opened again, admitting the burly Auror.

"Time's up, Mr. McAllister," said the Auror. Harry stood up.

"No worries, Dad. We'll get through this," said Harry softly.

"Tell Samantha I love her and that I'm sorry," said Severus.

"I will," said Harry. Severus gave him a small smile as he walked out the door. He sighed and rose from his seat, following the Auror back to his cell. As he passed the other cells, he caught a glimpse of pale, blond hair. He smiled at the steel grey eyes that watched him from behind the iron bars. The Auror opened a door, pushing Severus roughly into the small room. Severus turned around for the Auror to remove his shackles, only to have the heavy door slammed in his face. He groaned softly, rubbing his eyes with his thin fingers, the shackles clanging noisily with his movements.

"Seven days," muttered Severus. He sat back down and began to count every drop of water he could hear hit the floor.


	34. Chapter 34

**_A/N: Hello again. The trial will be split between two chapters (b/c it's freakin' long...), so this is part one, with part two coming tomorrow. Oh, and the sections in _**_italics _**_are scenes from the past...it'll make sense once you get there..._****  
**

**Chapter 34- Prisoners of War**

_There are only two ways of telling the complete truth -- anonymously and posthumously.__- Thomas Sowell_

The next week crawled slowly for Severus. He only had Samantha and Harry for visitors, as everyone else was banned from seeing him. The day of the trial, Severus was woken up early by the burly Auror he had mentally named Bob, and another he had never seen before. Bob roughly pulled Severus to his feet, while the other Auror chained his hands together with the familiar shackles. Severus's feet were also bound by chains. He was shoved towards the open door, where two more Aurors were waiting to sneer at him as he stumbled out of his cell. He saw that Draco, too, was being herded towards the end of the hallway by four other Aurors, none of whom he recognized. Draco looked back at him before being shoved towards the door to the courtroom. Bob pushed Severus in the same direction.

Courtroom Ten was packed. Severus checked himself on the threshold of the room, shocked at the many flashes of light that went off as soon as he came into sight of the reporters. Bob grabbed his arm and pulled him to the chair beside Draco. He pushed Severus into the seat and removed the chains from his hands and feet. The reprieve was short-lived, as the chains on the sides of the chair snaked their way up and locked Severus in place. He could feel his face redden slightly at being chained like a bear at the circus, but he held his head high as he looked up at the many rows of the Wizengamot. He looked over and caught Samantha's eyes. She smiled at him. He saw Rachel wave to Draco from next to Samantha, sitting next to the rest of the Weasleys and the Aurors in the Order.

"Trial hearing for April second," rang a cold voice, "into offenses committed under the Decree for Illegal Activies by Severus Gabriel Snape, resident of-" here the voice paused, continuing in a confused tone, "-an undisclosed location, and Draco Elias Malfoy, resident of 14 Cercle de Marseille, London."

"Interrogators: Rufus Christopher Scrimgeour, Minister of Magic; Robert Michael Dawlish, Head of Magical Law Enforcement; Percy Ignatius Weasley, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister. Court Scribe, Alicia Marie Spinnet. Charges include murder and participating in Death Eater activites. Do the accused wish to present witnesses to refute these charges?"

"Yes, they do," said a young female voice from the side of the courtroom. Ginny Weasley walked confidently out to the center of the room, impeccably dressed in exquisite grey dress robes, her red hair tied back in a low ponytail. Percy's face was frozen in shock. Draco chuckled softly to himself, grinning at Severus. Severus winked at him as Ginny spoke.

"Ginevra Molly Weasley, Representative of the Accused," she said to Alicia, who gave her a sly grin as her quill moved across the parchment. "We have just one witness, Minister."

"Only one?" said Scrimgeour skeptically. "Putting all your eggs in one basket, are we?" Dawlish frowned a little at him. "Well, Miss Weasley, call them in. Let's get this over with."

Ginny sneered ever so slightly at Scrimgeour, who shuffled his papers importantly. She turned towards the door of the courtroom. "Please allow the witness to enter."

An Auror pushed open the door, admitting a tall figure dressed in immaculate dress robes, carrying a package under his left arm. The hood of the figure's emerald green robes was covering any distinguishing feature of the person's face. The figure flicked out a wand and conjured a dark green armchair. A woman wearing square glasses on the second row smiled to herself as the figure sat in the chair.

"If you would be so kind as to lower your hood, sir," said Scrimgeour nastily. "Please state your full name and place of residence for the record." The figure smirked as he lowered his hood. The entire press section gasped as one.

"Harry James Potter," said Harry. The photographers went crazy, their bulbs flashing brightly in the dimness of the room. "And I'm afraid I can tell you my current place of --."

"And why not, Mr. Potter?" interrupted Scrimgeour. "Despite you recent _exploits_, you are still answerable to this court. And stop it with that infernal picture taking or I will have you thrown from this courtroom!" All of the photographers froze. Harry smiled benignly at him.

"As I was about to say," said Harry calmly. "My current residence is under the Fidelius charm. I'm sure you are familiar with how that charm works."

"Only the Secret Keepers can speak the secret aloud," said Dawlish, eyeing Harry carefully. "Naturally, you wouldn't be the Secret Keeper for your own house."

"That's right," said Harry. "My house actually has two Secret Keepers, so you would need both of them present in order for them to tell you exactly where it is. One of them is currently there now, healing from some injuries that he sustained during the battle last week. The other is one of the men you've got on trial." He nodded his head at Severus.

"WHAT?" cried Scrimgeour.

"But we'll get to that in a moment," said Harry. He held out the package towards the bench where Scrimgeour was sitting. "If I may, Minister, this is for you from Albus Dumbledore. I assure you, it hasn't been tampered with since I received it. It is sealed so that only you may open it." Scrimgeour looked at Harry warily. Harry grinned at him. "Any hexes are from Dumbledore, not from me. It will undoubtedly speed things up considerably."

Scrimgeour looked to Dawlish, who shrugged at him. Scrimgeour drew his wand, flicking it carefully at the package. It rose in the air, settling on the table in front of him. Dawlish cast several detection charms on it. He shook his head at the Minister, waving for Scrimgeour to open it. Scrimgeour severed the brown paper away from the box. He carefully lifted the lid. He scowled as he lifted a rune-covered stone bowl out of the box with smaller, similar bowl set inside it. He set these on the table in front of Dawlish. He reached back inside the box and pulled out a handful of glass vials, all numbered in slanted, loopy script. He held up one vial that was bright blue.

"What in the world is this?" asked Dawlish, staring in awe at all the vials. Harry smiled over at Severus, who looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"They're both pensieves" said Harry. "The silver vials are memories to be viewed, while the blue one you have in your hand is more of a narrative account to accompany the memories. At least, that's what Dumbledore rambled on about in the letter he left me along with that box. If you would like, I can set it up down here so that everyone can see it better." Harry conjured a small table in the center of the room.

"Fine, fine," said Scrimgeour angrily as he dumped all the vials back into the box. "What a nightmare. Percy, go stand down there and make sure he doesn't do anything to them." Percy scowled slightly, but did as he was told. He completely ignored Ginny as Harry levitated the box and the pensieves down to the table. Harry rummaged through the box and pulled out the blue vial and the silver vial, both labeled "1." He held them out to Percy, who looked at them and nodded curtly at him. Harry poured the contents of the blue vial into the smaller bowl. He touched his wand to the rim, causing a tall, misty figure to rise out of the bowl. The figure grew larger and larger until the moons and stars on his robes could be seen clearly. Severus closed his eyes as a familiar voice filled the courtroom.

"Good morning," said Dumbledore's figure. "At least, I _assume _it's morning. If you are viewing this, then Severus Snape is on trial for my murder, among other things, I'm sure. I hope that young Mr. Malfoy is with him as well." Harry shook his head, looking over to Draco. Draco shrugged, giving Harry a "what can you do?" look.

"For the record," continued Dumbledore's voice. "I want it known that these are my own personal memories and they have not been tampered with during or since my preparing them. They were only in my possession and in the possession of Gringott's, as they were stored in a vault to be delivered to Minerva McGonagall to be given to Harry at an appropriate time. Severus has not seen any of these, nor is he aware of their contents. Harry has only seen one of these memories, but he did not see the entire memory. Neither one of them had prior knowledge of this package, or knowledge of its contents, although Harry may have guessed after receiving my letter. Harry has in his possession the documentation from Gringott's certifying that I personally stored this package in its own vault and that it has not been tampered during its residence at Gringott's."

Harry pulled a a scroll of parchment out of his pocket and handed it to Alicia. She handed it down the row to Dawlish, who handed it to Scrimgeour. He slit it open with his wand. His eyes flicked back and forth quickly as he read the document.

"Now," said Dumbledore. "Before Harry continues with the first vial," here, Dumbledore turned to his left to where Harry was actually standing, and gave him a smile. Harry smiled back. "I would like to testify somewhat to the capacity with which I know Severus Snape."

Percy looked nervously back at Scrimgeour, who was scowling fiercely at the figure in the pensieve. Harry sat down in his chair. Ginny sat on the arm of the chair as Dumbledore began.

"Severus Snape was a student in Slytherin House between the years of 1970-1977, during the first rising of Lord Voldemort." The courtroom shivered at the name. "He was a good student, achieving very high O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. scores. The only times I remember him from those days are when he would get into rather physical arguments with certain students in Gryffindor House and was brought to my office for disciplinary reasons." Dumbledore smiled. "It was during these same years when I founded a resistance group called the Order of the Phoenix, which was committed to fighting against Voldemort and his followers, and began recruiting members. Among these were Marlene and Jacob McKinnon, parents of Severus's best friend Samantha McKinnon-Ives."

Severus looked over to Samantha. She mouthed the words "I love you" to him. He smiled at her and mouthed them back to her.

"The summer after Severus and Samantha's sixth year," continued Dumbledore. "Severus's parents were murdered by Death Eaters, threatening to also kill Samantha if Severus refused to take the Dark Mark and become one of Voldemort's followers. He immediately went to the McKinnons to warn them of the danger Samantha was in. Harry, if you will prepare the first memory please. This is part of the meeting I had with the McKinnons after Severus left their house, where he stayed for a few weeks after the end of that term. I apologize in advance to Samantha if this is painful for her to watch."

Harry glanced up at Samantha as he poured the silvery liquid into the other bowl. He prodded the memory with his wand, causing the figures to rise up out of the bowl. A woman with curly blond hair rose up, next to a man with dark brown hair. They were sitting in front of Dumbledore's desk in his office at Hogwarts.

"_Severus was so concerned about Sam, Albus" said Marlene. "He almost seemed appalled that we weren't going to let him take the Mark for her. As if we were just going to tell him to become a Death Eater when we have other ways of protecting her! Severus is not the kind of person who would go around killing people and then write threatening messages on the walls in his victim's blood! He deserves better than that, Albus. We have to do something to help him."_

"_We told him to come to you," said Jacob. "Did he?"_

"_No," said Dumbledore sadly. "I haven't seen him at all this summer. I fear he may do something rash before we can contact him." Dumbledore leaned back in his chair. "I'll talk to Alastor about putting up protective wards around your house. They aren't foolproof, by any means, but they will provide you with some protection while Samantha is at home. We will simply have to hope for the best when it comes to Severus. I will keep an eye on him and Samantha both over the next year."_

The memory faded. Harry muttered a spell, lifting the silver strand out of the bowl and placing it back in the vial. He set it next to the box, gazing back up at Samantha. She closed her eyes as tears streamed down her face.

"That was the first clue I had that Severus had been recruited by Death Eaters the previous year," said Dumbledore. "I had noticed an increase in the amount of post he got, but didn't think much of it at the time. I see now that I should have. Severus returned for his seventh year along with the other students. I could detect no significant change in him, although he seemed more callous towards his nemesis in other houses. I watched him carefully that year as he graduated with the rest of his class. The night the Express left, I received an owl from Lily Evans-Potter, who was one of Samantha's best friends, saying that the McKinnons had been murdered. Lily informed me that Samantha was going into hiding and that one of her good friends would be helping her. After watching both Samantha and Severus closely that year, I deduced that it was Severus who helped Samantha to hide in muggle London to escape from Death Eaters who were trying to kill her."

Dumbledore sighed. "It was a great loss to everyone who knew the McKinnons. I had no way of contacting Samantha in order to help her, as she had completely and thoroughly disappeared. I thought of her often, periodically asking Lily if she had heard from her. The Potters became members of the Order after their wedding, along with their good friends Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. Frank and Alice Longbottom also joined at this time, along with the Prewett brothers and many others who are now no longer with us. The war escalated quickly around us. The Order was gathering information from our sources inside the Ministry, but we had no real way to gather information outside of that. Little did I know that a way would soon be provided. Harry, the next memory please. This memory is from the spring of 1980 from an interview I had with a prospective Divination professor. The prophecy it contains is the one that was fought over and destroyed right down the hall from this courtroom."

Harry poured the vial's contents into the bowl and touched his wand to the edge of the pensieve. A woman with very frizzy hair and copious amounts of jewelry appeared, sitting across from Dumbledore.

"_So, Miss Trelawney," said Dumbledore. "What is your current occupation?"_

"_Well," said Trelawney nervously, her voice lacking any of its current wispiness. "I am currently unemployed. I used to work for –" Trelawney froze, her eyes rolling back into her head. Dumbledore sat forward in alarm._

"_Miss Trelawney?" cried Dumbledore. Trelawney began to speak in a strange voice._

"_THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD APPROACHES…BORN TO THOSE WHO HAVE THRICE DEFIED HIM, BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES…AND THE DARK LORD WILL MARK HIM AS HIS EQUAL, BUT HE WILL HAVE POWER THE DARK LORD KNOWS NOT…AND EITHER MUST DIE AT THE HAND OF THE OTHER FOR NEITHER CAN LIVE WHILE THE OTHER SURVIVES…THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD WILL BE BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES..."_

_Trelawney shook her head, blinking rapidly. Dumbledore opened his mouth, but was interrupted by loud shouting in the hallway. He stood and opened the door to find Severus trying to loudly explain himself to the barman, who looked strikingly similar to Dumbledore._

"_I caught him trying to listen in," said the barman. "I'm throwing him out right now, Albus."_

"_Headmaster," said a very young Severus. "I would like to speak with you immediately." Dumbledore stared at him for a minute before nodding._

"_Wait outside for me, Severus," said Dumbledore. "Aberforth, escort him out if you would, please." The barman grabbed Severus's arm and led him down the stairs. Dumbledore turned back to Trelawney, who had watched the whole exchange._

"_Well, Miss Trelawney, you have the job if you're still interested," said Dumbledore. "I'm terribly sorry to cut this short, but I have some urgent business to attend to. I will owl you the specifics this summer. Good evening." With that, Dumbledore swept out of the room and down a set of stairs. He nodded to Aberforth, who gave him a wave. Dumbledore went out through the door of the pub and looked around, slipping his wand into his sleeve. A cloaked figure stepped out from behind the edge of the building._

"_We will go to my office," said Dumbledore. "I'm sure you remember the way." Dumbledore waved his hand, indicating that Severus should lead. Severus hesitated for a second before taking off towards the school at a brisk pace. Dumbledore kept one step between him and Severus as they approached the gates and climbed the path to the entrance hall. Dumbledore smiled softly as Severus slowed his pace, looking up at the towering turrets of the castle. As they reached the front doors, Severus reached out a hand to grab the handle. A small flash of light leapt from the handle to Severus's hand, causing him to recoil and curse softly under his breath. Dumbledore sighed heavily as he drew his wand, pointing it at Severus._

"_If you want to proceed any further, I will need your registered wand and any others you are currently carrying," said Dumbledore. "I will be scanning your person to make sure you are not armed before we enter the castle, so it would be in your best interests to offer them to me now."_

_Severus pulled his wand out of his inner pocket of his cloak, offering Dumbledore the handle. Dumbledore took it as Severus bent down and pulled another wand from his boot. He also handed this one over to Dumbledore, handle first._

"_I just have the two," said Severus softly from beneath his hood. Dumbledore pocketed the two wands and cast a spell on Severus, moving his wand down the young man's body. It detected nothing. Dumbledore stepped around Severus, opening the door and ushering him through. Severus walked in, treading through the very familiar hallways to the Headmaster's office. Dumbledore said nothing until they reached the stone gargoyle guarding the entrance to his office._

"_Chocolate Frogs," said Dumbledore. Severus gave a soft chuckle as he stepped onto the moving staircase in front of Dumbledore. Dumbledore opened the door and waved Severus to a seat. Dumbledore sat behind his desk as Severus sat nervously in the chair,keeping his hood up over his head._

"_Lemon drop?" asked Dumbledore, offering Severus a bowl of yellow candies. Severus took one, popping it into his mouth quickly. Dumbledore sat back, bringing the tips of his finger together in front of him and gazing at Severus for several minutes._

"_I must say, Severus," said Dumbledore. "I'm rather surprised to see you after all this time. You said that you wanted to speak to me. Well, I have all evening, child. Speak."_

_Severus crossed his arms in front of him, almost as if he was cold. He spoke in barely above a whisper._

"_I don't want to do this," said Severus softly. "I don't want to be this monster anymore. I want out, but I don't know how to get out. Regulus—Regulus was _murdered_. I found him in his apartment a few months ago. I –" Severus shook his head. "I made a huge mistake. I will do whatever you want me to do but I cannot do this any longer." He held his hands in his lap. Dumbledore could see them shaking slightly._

"_Why didn't you come to me after you went to Jacob and Marlene?" asked Dumbledore gently. "I would have done everything for you and Samantha."_

"_I don't know," cried Severus in agony. He pushed his hood back, revealing a skeletally thin, pale face with dark, black eyes rimmed with huge circles. He held his head in his hands. "Mr. and Mrs. McKinnon didn't understand! I didn't leave their house for two weeks, but I would peek out the windows and see glimpses of Death Eaters watching the house! I couldn't let them get Sam. I did what I thought was necessary for her! I never wanted to join them.__"_

"_Yet you didn't believe I could help you," said Dumbledore calmly. "You didn't trust me." Severus looked up at him in anguish._

"_No," whispered Severus. "No, I didn't trust you at all. And then they died." Severus's voice became louder and louder as he continued. "They were members of your precious Order and you just let them die! What if Sam had been at home? WHAT IF SHE HAD DIED?" Severus growled in frustration, but seemed to calm down slightly. "I could not allow her to be hurt. I did what was necessary."_

"_I see," said Dumbledore. He leaned forward, clasping his hands together on top of the desk. "You will someday come to terms with the fact that I am but a mortal man, who makes mistakes. Those mistakes are my responsibility, as you are right in pointing out. But you must also temper this opinion with the knowledge that I cannot prevent all deaths from happening." Dumbledore paused for a moment, staring at the bitter anguish written on Severus's face. "I want to help you, but you are going to have to trust me. Are you willing to trust me now, Severus?" Severus slumped defeated in his seat._

"_Yes," whispered Severus. "Just tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it. I don't care about the cost, as long as Sam is kept safe. I have nothing left to live for now."_

"_Oh, my dear boy," said Dumbledore softly. "You have _everything _to live for, child. Samantha needs you now more than ever." He paused, stroking his beard in thought."I think I have a plan. It require a great deal of sacrifice on your part, but if we play it right, we may be able to defeat Voldemort." Severus shuddered at the name._

"_What is your plan, sir?" asked Severus. Dumbledore took a deep breath, exhaling softly._

"_I want you to go back and be a spy for my Order," said Dumbledore. "I want you to continue feigning loyalty to Voldemort while reporting everything to me personally." Severus stood up from his seat, pacing in front of the fireplace._

"_I don't know about this, Headmaster," said Severus. "The Dark Lord is not one to suffer fools. I'm not at all prepared to trick him into believing that I'm just casually acquainted with you if I'm coming here every week." Dumbledore smiled at him._

"_That's why you are going to become Hogwart's new Potion Master, beginning next term, and begin training with me," said Dumbledore. Severus froze._

"_Potions Master?" whispered Severus. He spun around slowly to Dumbledore, staring at him in shock. "Potions Master? You've got to be kidding me!"_

"_No, Severus," said Dumbledore. "I am quite serious. Slughorn has been after me to let him retire for years. He'll be thrilled one of his prized students will be replacing him. You will go back and tell Voldemort that you have wormed your way to a position under this old fool's nose." He smiled at Severus. "He'll be very pleased with you, I think. He's tried to get me to hire him for years, but I thought he was lacking in relational skills."_

_Severus sat heavily back down in the chair, shaking his head in disbelief. "I—I don't know what to say, Headmaster. It's – it's -- thank you, sir."_

"_Everyone deserves a second chance, Severus," said Dumbledore. "Always remember that. However, I will require you to give me your word on a few things."_

"_Anything, sir," said Severus. "Name your conditions."_

"_One," said Dumbledore. "You will obey my _every_ order, no matter how much you disagree with it. Are we clear?"_

"_Yes, sir," said Severus. Dumbledore held his gaze for a second._

"_Two," said Dumbledore, "You will pass only what information I deem acceptable to pass to Voldemort. No more, no less. However, you will not withhold any information from me if I ask it of you." Severus shifted uncomfortably in his seat, but nodded his assent._

"_And third," said Dumbledore, with a twinkle in his blue eyes. "You will call me Albus unless there are students present."_

_Severus relaxed and smiled at him, which Dumbledore returned._

"_Now, Severus, let's talk about what you heard tonight."_

The figures faded away to a completely silent and shocked crowd. Draco's eyes were huge, staring open mouthed at Harry's resigned face.

"As I'm sure this memory will cause some questions to arise, my narration will pause here," said Dumbledore. "There are many memories in the box of meetings I had with Severus after various Death Eater meetings he attended, each one detailing attacks on prominent members of our community, both within the Order and outside it. There are also some from meetings I had with him after Voldemort was resurrected a few years ago, when I asked him to risk his life yet again and continue his espionage for the Order. If you need more evidence of Severus's character, Harry will be glad to replay them for you. My narration will continue with the events of the year prior to what I'm afraid will happen the day after this recording is made. Harry, when you're ready, there should be another blue vial in the box." Dumbledore's image faded away quickly, the mist disappearing into the air.


	35. Chapter 35

**_A/N: Part 2 of 2, as promised...glad y'all liked the whole pensieve idea. I wasn't sure it would work. Special thanks to Mark Darcy and Verity Brown, who have stuck with me and given me lots to think about!_**

**_Just to clarify, yes, Severus passed the first half of the prophecy on Albus's orders. But I don't want it to seem as if Albus was unaware of the risk he was taking -- he knew exactly what he was doing. I do think this is what really happened in cannon...Albus's reaction to Harry's finding out about Severus's involvement was just a little too calm and...resigned. So, what did Albus think he would be doing by telling Tom this information? I'm not really sure. Maybe it was to try and get Severus into the Inner Circle. Or maybe it was just to convince Voldemort that Severus was really spying for the Dark side, despite being in close proximity to Albus-- more of a "I'm not really on their side. See, I brought you cool info!" kind of thing. It was probably both of these, along with other reasons... _**

**Chapter 35- The Defense Continues**

_"As I'm sure this memory will cause some questions to arise, my narration will pause here," said Dumbledore. "There are many memories in the box of meetings I had with Severus after various Death Eater meetings he attended, each one detailing attacks on prominent members of our community, both within the Order and outside it. There are also some from meetings I had with him after Voldemort was resurrected a few years ago, when I asked him to risk his life yet again and continue his espionage for the Order. If you need more evidence of Severus's character, Harry will be glad to replay them for you. My narration will continue with the events of the year prior to what I'm afraid will happen the day after this recording is made. Harry, when you're ready, there should be another blue vial in the box." Dumbledore's image faded away quickly, the mist disappearing into the air._

_-- end of chapter 34_

* * *

"Bloody hell," whispered Severus as the press began to murmur amongst themselves. Harry sighed and turned to face Scrimgeour as the Minister finally found his voice. 

"Did you know about this prophecy, Potter?" asked Scrimgeour harshly. "Did you know about this all along and not tell anyone?"

"Of course I didn't," said Harry crossly. "Dumbledore told me the prophecy after the battle at the Department of Mysteries. Before then, I had no clue as to why I had been singled out by Voldemort. Voldemort was only aware of the first half, the part about the One with the power to vanquish him being born at the end of July, to parents who had defied him three times. There were two boys who could have fit that description – myself and Neville Longbottom. Voldemort chose me, thereby marking me as his equal." Harry pulled his hair back off his forehead, displaying his trademark scar.

"And how did You-Know-Who find out about the first half of this prophecy?" asked Dawlish. Scrimgeour sneered cruelly at Severus.

"Yes, Snape," growled Scrimgeour. "Tell us how he found out."

Severus glared at him, but spoke in a calm tone.

"I only heard the first half of it before the barman caught me listening that night," said Severus. "After the part of the meeting you just witnessed, Albus and I discussed what I had heard. He told me to give Voldemort that information at the next gathering I attended, along with the information that I had been hired at Hogwarts to teach. I did as I was asked. Following every gathering I attended since that night, I discussed everything from all the gatherings in detail with Albus so that he was aware of what Voldemort was planning. Voldemort never suspected me of my involvement in the Order at that time. I wasn't officially inducted into the Order until the following fall."

"How just how did you manage to pull that off?" asked Scrimgeour skeptically. "If you could have fooled the darkest wizard of our time, why should we believe that you weren't fooling Dumbledore as well? You could still be fooling all of us, waiting for a chance to get free and begin your own conquest."

"I never wanted the power," sneered Severus. "I only joined to keep Sam from being harmed. I had already been keeping her location and whereabouts from Voldemort using Occlumency. Albus worked with me to strengthen my mental protection, and in so doing, he saw every thought, every memory I had. If I was foolish enough to think I could lie to Albus Dumbledore _for more than twenty years_, I would not be sitting here in this chair. Albus would have thrown me into Azkaban years ago."

"Only if he knew he was being tricked," said Scrimgeour. Severus glared murderously at his smug face as he turned back to Harry. "I'm a bit confused, Potter. Why are you here defending the man who is responsible for your parents being murdered? Surely since Snape is responsible for telling You-Know-Who the prophecy about you, you would want him to pay for his –" Scrimgeour sneered at Severus, "—_crimes_."

"Severus had no idea what Voldemort would do with the information he passed," said Harry forcefully. "He had no idea that my parents were going to be the ones murdered. Severus was actually the one who warned Dumbledore that my parents were going to be attacked, so actually, I owe him my life." Harry rummaged through the box lifting up a couple of the silver vials. "I'm sure Dumbledore put a memory of that meeting in here, as my parents went into hiding after Severus reported that, but we would have to go through all of these others."

Harry glanced at Severus, giving him a quick wink. Percy looked over at Ginny in shock. She stared back at him, daring him to say something. Percy slowly climbed up the stairs and retook his seat next to Scrimgeour. Dawlish leaned over and whispered something in Scrimgeour's ear. The Minister recoiled, glaring at him. Dawlish raised an eyebrow, turning to face Harry.

"Mr. Potter, I don't feel it's necessary to look at all those memories right now," said Dawlish. Scrimgeour scoffed. "However," he continued, glaring at Scrimgeour, "they will be viewed at a later date, as I'm sure they implicate other Death Eaters that we have in custody. I personally would like to hear Dumbledore's explanation of his own death and how Mr. Snape fits into that."

Harry nodded. "Of course, sir." He lifted an empty vial, siphoning the contents of the small pensieve into it. He stoppered the glass tube and lifted another blue vial labeled "2" out of the box. He poured it into the pensieve, tapping the edge of the bowl with his wand. Dumbledore once again appeared in the center of the room.

"Hello again," said Dumbledore. "I will begin this part of my testimony with an explanation of how Lord Voldemort seemed to achieve immortality. Harry and Severus can fill in any details I leave out." Harry grinned as he sat back down in his chair.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle, who would later be known as Lord Voldemort," began Dumbledore, "lived in a muggle orphanage for the first eleven years of his life. His mother, Merope Gaunt-Riddle, died in childbirth after her husband abandoned her. Tom Riddle Sr. was a muggle, whom Merope had enchanted to fall in love with her. The Gaunts were the last living descendents of Salazar Slytherin, and as such, had several heirlooms of the founder in their possession, namely a ring and a locket. However, young Tom knew none of this until he came to Hogwarts. There, he began researching his family tree and discovered that he was indeed the Heir of Slytherin, founder of his House. He began to delve deep into the dark secrets held inside the castle, including the Chamber of Secrets, which Tom opened in his fifth year killing another student."

"I can let you in if you want to see it," said Harry nonchalantly as Dumbledore paused in thought.

"Harry is the only known Parseltongue other than Tom himself," said Dumbledore. "They are the only two who can open it at the present time, if you want to see it. After Tom graduated, he began to experiment with the darkest of all the Dark Arts. He began researching the little known subject of Horcruxes, which are objects that will store a portion of one's soul, should one desire to do so. Even I am unsure of the entire process, but it does involve the splitting of the caster's own soul by murdering another soul. He was hired at Borgin and Burkes, working to discover artifacts that the owners could buy from clients and then resell. In his work for the shop, Tom stumbled across a chalice belonging to Helga Hufflepuff and his mother's locket in the possession of Hebzibah Smith. He murdered her, obtaining the artifacts for himself. He also returned to Little Hangleton and murdered his maternal grandfather, who possessed Slytherin's ring. He did somehow find another school relic belonging most likely to Ravenclaw, but at this time I am unsure as to what exactly it is or where Tom found it. Using these objects, along with a diary he retained from his school years and his pet snake Nagini, Tom made himself six Horcruxes, with himself being the seventh. If anyone wanted him dead, they would have to destroy all of the Horcruxes. Only then could Tom be killed completely."

Dumbledore paused again. Every reporter was scribbling madly across their parchments. Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"Now," he said. "Tom hid these artifacts in various places around England, except for Nagini, who accompanied him almost everywhere.After hearing the first part of the prophecy, Tom attacked and murdered the Potters to prevent this child from living. However, he underestimated how Lily's love for her child would effect the casting of the Killing Curse on Harry. The curse rebounded on him, in effect killing his body, but not his soul.When I arrived at Godric's Hollow later that night, I, along with Severus and Rubeus Hagrid, searched the rubble for Voldemort's body but found no trace of it. We feared that he was simply severely injured as opposed to defeated, so we maintained a close eye on the activities of known Death Eaters and listened for any hints of his return. Severus remained in my employment as Potions Master at Hogwarts."

"Harry started at Hogwarts in 1991. Over the course of that year, he discovered, along with his friends Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, that Voldemort had possessed my Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at the time and was attempting to regain a body through use of the Elixir of Life. Harry thwarted him in that attempt, postponing Voldemort's return. Harry's second year was also fraught with danger, as Lucius Malfoy obtained the diary Horcrux and planted it among Miss Weasley's belongings. It eventually began to be a conduit for Tom Riddle's soul trapped in its pages, causing Ginevra to be possessed by his spirit. Tom used herto reopen the Chamber of Secrets, setting loose the Basilisk within. Harry once again defeated Voldemort, destroying the diary and the Basilisk in the process. Lucius was unaware of the diary's power and value to his master until much later. "

Dumbledore sighed. "Alas, our worse fears were confirmed at the end of Harry's fourth year, when Voldemort was resurrected with the help of Peter Pettigrew. He once again attempted to take Harry's life, but Harry escaped. I asked Severus to return to Voldemort's service as my spy, which he did immediately. I recalled the old members of the Order, as well as recruited new members. Among the new recruits were the Weasley family, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Nymphadora Tonks, and to my extreme delight, Samantha McKinnon-Ives. We learned of Voldemort's quest for the prophecy in its entiretyearly that following summer, thanks to Severus. We began taking precautions, including preparing Harry against mental attack through his scar. Unfortunately, Harry and his Occlumency instructor did not see eye to eye on a great many things and discontinued their lessons." Dumbledore peered over the rim of his glasses towards where Harry was standing. Harry cleared his throat, blushing slightly.

"As the year went on," said Dumbledore, "I began to research the history of Tom Riddle. I talked to numerous people who had known him as a child and as a student. Through this research, I discovered Tom's obsession with immortality and his knowledge of Horcruxes. I also looked into what objects he may have used to make them. But my research was interrupted in June of that year."

"Voldemort's followers broke into the Department of Mysteries while Voldemort lured Harry here with a false vision of his godfather being tortured. The – ah—_Headmistress_ at the time caught Harry attempting to contact Sirius at Order Headquarters via floo." McGonagall chuckled softly to herself.

"She assumed Harry was trying to contact me, and summoned Severus for a vial of Veritaserum in order to question Harry. Harry covertly alerted Severus to the situation, as he was the only remaining Order member at Hogwarts. Since some children of fellow Death Eaters were present, Severus was unable to help Harry in front of them, but he immediately contacted Sirius and other Order members after discovering that Harry and his friends had left the school grounds. Severus then notified me, filling me in on what had transpired. I rushed here immediately to find Harry and his friends engaged in a heated battle over the prophecy orb that Voldemort was so anxious to obtain. In the midst of everything, the orb was destroyed. Sirius was sent through the Death Veil by Bellatrix Lestrange, causing Harry to chase her to the Atrium. There, Voldemort arrived and once again tried to murder Harry. He was unable to do this, so he fled. He suffered a great loss in this battle, as his main core of trusted Death Eaters were now in Azkaban Prison."

"Over the summer, I continued my research on Voldemort's Horcruxes while Severus was promoted to the Inner Circle, Voldemort's most trusted advising council. Severus learned that a young Death Eater had been given the noble task of murdering me." Dumbledore smiled softly. "At that time, Severus had no idea as to the identity of the recruit. A week after learning this information Narcissa Malfoy, along with her sister Bellatrix, paid Severus a visit at his home. She made him swear an Unbreakable Vow to assist Draco in his task, and to complete it if Draco was unable to do so himself. Severus realized that Draco was the one who was ordered to kill me, but could not refuse to take the oath in front of Bellatrix, who was formerly a member of the Inner Circle and would have killed him on the spot had he refused. He swore the Vow and came immediately to me afterwards. I told Severus to continue in his double role, keeping his eye on Draco and to try to find out as much as he could about what the boy was planning. I granted him the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts, while contacting Horace Slughorn to teach Potions, and began setting my affairs in order should the worst come to pass. This included choosing two new Secret Keepers for the Order and Headquarters."

"Before I visited Harry at his home to notify him of his inheritance from Sirius, I discovered the whereabouts of Slytherin's ring. I obtained it and destroyed it, suffering an injury in the process." Dumbledore lifted his right hand, his sleeve falling back to reveal the charred flesh of his hand. He lowered his arm, once again covering his hand. "If Severus hadn't been nearby, I probably would have died before the next school term started. But once again, he dedicated himself to helping me in any way he could. I told him of the Horcruxes, enlisting his help in gaining clues as to their locations. He promised to stay close to Voldemort in order to warn us if he ever became suspicious of our plan. The next school year began smoothly. I began meeting with Harry personally, showing him the research I had obtained on Tom Riddle." Draco shifted nervously in his chair.

"Over the course of the year, several attempts were made on my life," said Dumbledore. "None of them were successful, although they injured two of my students rather severely. I would like it known that I do not hold any malice or anger whatsoever at young Mr. Malfoy. He also was pressured into taking the Mark with threats of harm to his mother and took the Mark for her benefit. At this point, I believe there is hope for him and will not give up on him simply because he made a mistake." Draco sighed quietly in relief.

"Eventually, I told Harry about the Horcruxes, promising to take him along with me when I discovered the whereabouts of any of them, which I am going to do tomorrow as I have learned of the locket's hiding place. Severus and I have argued fairly often this year about when, if ever, he should announce his true loyalties to Voldemort. I want everyone to be very clear as to what I'm about to say." Dumbledore paused as if waiting for the room's attention. It was a needless gesture, as everyone was sitting on the edge of their seat listening raptly.

"I ordered Severus to maintain his position in the Inner Circle, even if it meant killing me," said Dumbledore slowly. "If anyone _other_ than Severus or Draco kills me, Severus will die automatically due to the Vow he swore, and Harry will be left with no adult with adequate knowledge of my reasearch to assist him in his search. I am slowly dying due to the curse that has taken my hand. I fear whatever protections Tom has placed around the locket will be my downfall. In the twenty years he has been in my service, Severus has _never_ disobeyed a direct order, even if it goes against his own intuition. As Draco's godfather, Severus will do everything in his power to save Draco. That includes fulfilling the Vow he swore to Draco's mother. If it is Severus who casts the curse to kill me, he does so with my blessing because in doing so, he will help to assure our victory. I hope that this testimony has shed light on the many years our fight against the man known as Lord Voldemort and his followers. I hope that one day you may all know the joy of freedom. Severus, I hope that this has proven to you that your contributions were not in vain. I wish you all the best, my child. Harry, I wish you the same. I hope that you have been successful in your quest. Go and live the life that you deserve. I will always be there to guide both of you, even if you cannot see me with your eyes."

Dumbledore's image dissipated. Severus closed his eyes, a single tear rolling down his face. Harry exhaled shakily as he emptied the smaller pensieve, working in silence. He corked the vial, placing it back into the box with the others. When he finished, Harry sat back down in his green chair. He rubbed his eyes under his glasses. Ginny stood behind him, rubbing his shoulders gently as they waited.

Percy leaned forward, talking quietly to Dawlish across Scrimgeour. Scrimgeour frowned, looking back and forth between them. He sat forward to cut them off, clearing his throat as he shuffled some papers in his hands.

"Well, we've heard evidence as to the _alleged_ actions of Snape," he said loudly. "However, this information has somewhat incriminated Malfoy."

"Dumbledore said that Mr. Potter would explain things," said Dawlish. "So explain, Mr. Potter. What occurred after Dumbledore's death?"

Harry conjured a goblet of water, taking a drink to wet his throat.

"I've known Draco since our first year at Hogwarts," said Harry as he set the goblet on the table beside him. "We didn't get along in school at all. I'm sure Headmistress McGonagall can fill you in on the details of our school-day rivalry." He smiled up at her. She winked at him, but maintained her stern demeanor.

"During my meetings with Dumbledore, I made a promise to myself that I would continue to search for these Horcruxes and destroy Voldemort for good. After his death, I began planning to do this. I met Samantha Ives through her cousin Remus Lupin. She had spoken to Severus on the day of the funeral. She had agreed to be Severus's new contact inside the Order, so that he could keep passing us information from the Inner Circle. He also agreed to assist me in my search for the Horcruxes. He continued attending gatherings, and was present when Narcissa Malfoy was killed for trying to protect Draco with the Unbreakable Vow." Draco hung his head. Harry gave him a sympathetic look as he continued.

"The first intelligence he passed after the funeral was about the attack on Bill and Fleur Weasley's wedding, which was to be held at the Burrow. We had to arrange alternate ceremony plans and staged a fake wedding for Severus to attack." Percy's face paled as he looked up at his parents and brothers sitting in the stands. "In doing so, Severus was uncovered as the Order's spy by Voldemort when he showed up unexpectedly at the battle and discovered that the wedding wasn't really taking place. Severus announced his true loyalties and went into hiding, along with Samantha. They moved into Order Headquarters, along with myself, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. I began extensive training with them, completing the N.E.W.T. coursework in about a month, along with some other specialized work in Occlumency, Defense and Transfiguration. We also worked on locating the rest of the Horcruxes. The locket that Dumbledore and I retrieved turned out to be a fake. We located the real one inside Order Headquarters, having been found by Regulus Black who was trying to destroy itbefore he was killed. We talked with Dumbledore's portrait in the Head office at Hogwarts and found out that Hufflepuff's cup might be at Borgin and Burkes, while the other Horcrux was some relic of Ravenclaw's. Severus and I found the cup underneath the floor of Borgin's and brought it back to Headquarters, where we destroyed it and the locket back in September, thanks to a potion Severus uncovered in Regulus's journal. We began researching possible items belonging to Ravenclaw when we were contacted by Draco."

Dawlish turned to Draco expectantly.

"I wanted out of the Dark Lord's service," said Draco. "I had been present at the attack on the Weasleys's and saw Severus betray the Dark Lord to his face. I knew if anyone could help me, he could. We arranged a meeting, where I told him my intentions. He began working with me, training me in Occlumency and advanced spell work, similar to what he did with Harry. I began to pass Death Eater intelligence through Severus and Harry to the rest of the Order. I warned them of the attack on Hogsmeade in November. We still suffered a few casualties, including Hermione and Ron, but we lost none of the villagers due to the Order's solid defense and planning."

"The same day that Draco contacted us, we had come across information about a chest that had been entrusted to Ravenclaw from Slytherin before he left Hogwarts. We knew that this was most likely the last Horcrux, since it had ties to Slytherin himself. This chest had passed into the Malfoy family, so Draco helped us make sure that it was no longer at Malfoy Manor." Dawlish's eyes widened in comprehension. Harry nodded at him.

"Yes," said Harry. "We were the ones who broke into the Manor and triggered the alarms. Since the chest wasn't at the house, we knew the Ministry had confiscated it during the last raid of the Manor. Since it was somewhat safe at the Ministry, at least for the time being, we focused on trying to get rid of Nagini. Severus brewed a toxic poison, while Samantha placed a time-release charm on it in order to provide us with enough time to find the chest and destroy it before the snake died and alerted Voldemort to our actions. Draco and I attended a gathering, where we fed the poison to the snake."

"The Dark Lord never suspected me of poisoning his snake," said Draco. "Nor did he realize that I was passing information to the Order. He was very frustrated when none of his planned murder attempts and attacks succeeded."

"Draco was at Headquarters for Christmas dinner when he was summoned," said Harry. "He was granted admittance to an Inner Circle meeting to discuss a possible attack on Hogwarts castle. Draco was given the task of finding any information on the Order in order to officially gain a position within the Circle. He alerted us immediately. We broke into the Ministry holding cells and retrieved the chest, bringing it back to Headquarters. Severus destroyed it in mid-February using the same spell that Dumbledore used on Slytherin's ring. Draco passed very sensitive information concerning the identity of the other Secret Keeper, allowing him to be officially promoted into the Inner Circle. There, he learned that the attack on the school was being planned for mid-March."

"Severus, Draco and I explained everything about the Horcruxes to the entire Order and planned for the defense of the castle. Draco remained in his position, deceiving Voldemort until the day of the battle where Draco killed Nagini, declaring his loyalty to the Order. He and I, along with Severus, killed Voldemort in front of the castle, while the rest of the Order and the Hogwarts house-elves captured all of the Death Eaters who attacked the castle. In fact, if it hadn't been for these two, I would have been toast and we would still be worriedthat Voldemort was going to come after one of us next. They are the real heroes of this story. I was just a sidekick."

Harry reached over for the goblet, drinking some water and leaning back in his seat. The reporters had given up recording every word, simply staring in awe at Harry. Dawlish looked over at Percy, who shook his head in shocked disbelief. Scrimgeour scowled at Harry, flipping through some of the papers in front of him.

"Well," said Dawlish breathily. "This is a pretty wild story. Secret societies, Dumbledore plotting his own death, redeemed Death Eaters defeating You-Know-Who – wow." He looked to the other members of the Wizengamot, before turning back to Harry's calm face. "And you're absolutely sure that he's not coming back? That he's not waiting for another ten years to start all over again?" Harry chuckled.

"I'm very sure," said Harry confidently. The room began to buzz as the cameras flashed off to Harry's side.

"Well," said Percy weakly. "If that is all, Mr. Potter, I think the decision is fairly straightforward." Harry nodded. Ginny put a hand on his shoulder. He reached up and covered it with his own.

"We will take it to vote," said Scrimgeour harshly. "All in favor of clearing _both_ of the accused of _all_ charges?" He looked around and started at the number of hands that were in the air, including that of his Undersecretary and Head of MLE, who looked at him with raised eyebrows. He opened his mouth to speak, but shut it again in consternation.

"All in favor of conviction?" asked Dawlish. A very scant few raised their hands, including Scrimgeour, only to lower them hesitantly at the disdainful looks from their neighbors.

"Mr. Potter, if you could hand me that box down there," said Dawlish with a grin. Harry grinned madly as he levitated the box and the pensieves up to him. "Mr. Snape and Mr. Malfoy, I speak for the entire Wizarding community of England when I say thank you for all of your sacrifice. We truly owe you our lives. Mr. Malfoy, the deed to Malfoy Manor shall be returned to you as soon as I can manage it, along with any non-Dark Arts related belongings. If you both are willing, we will contact you next week for testimony against the Death Eaters we have currently in custody. I will also be personally submitting your names, along with Mr. Potter's and Professor Dumbledore's, as candidates for Orders of Merlin, First Class. You are both cleared of all charges and are free to go."

Harry shouted with joy and he jumped out of his seat. The chains dropped from Severus and Draco's chairs as Samantha and Rachel ran past Ginny and Harry. Harry put his arms around Ginny as reporters immediately swarmed all three couples, who were courteously answering questions. Severus squeezed his way through to Harry, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you, James," said Severus quietly. Harry grinned at him.

"Anything for you, Dad," he answered. Severus gave his shoulder a quick squeeze as he made his way back to Samantha, a huge grin on his face.

* * *

From the special edition of the _Daily Prophet_, dated April 2, 1998:

**VOLDEMORT DEFEATED:**

**HARRY POTTER, SEVERUS SNAPE AND DRACO MALFOY MAIN PLAYERS IN DARK LORD'S FALL**

_Harry Potter, once known as the Boy-Who-Lived, defeated the wizard known as Lord Voldemort in an epic battle on the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry last week. Members of the secret society called the Order of the Phoenix, founded by the late Albus Dumbledore, were key in defending the castle from an attack of Voldemort's forces. But it was due to the actions of Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy, former Death Eaters who turned spy for the Order of the Phoenix, who especially helped young Potter defeat Voldemort._

_  
"Draco gave us critical intelligence detailing Voldemort's side of the attack on the castle," said Arthur Weasley, Ministry employee and fellow member of the Order. "We acted on it and many other reports of attacks to prevent many people from being killed. We would have lost a lot more people had we not had the information that he and Severus obtained."_

_  
Both Snape and Malfoy were tried and cleared on all charges based on testimony left by Dumbledore before his death. Harry Potter also contributed to the defense of both men, explaining their roles in defeating Voldemort. Potter made this statement after the acquittal:_

_  
"Many people were instrumental in my defeat of Lord Voldemort, but Severusand Dracowent above and beyond what most wizards would dare to do, risking their lives for people who hated them and who judged them based on how their actions appeared on the outside. I was once guilty of thinking the same thing about them. But in working closely with both of these men for the past year, I have come to respect them greatly. They are my family. Their love and support of me and each other, in addition to the other members of the Order, is what helped us to win. We owe them everything."_

The Wizarding World can now focus more on other areas of life that have been disrupted due to Voldemort. One of these areas is the reopening of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which has been closed since Dumbledore's death. The Board of Governors will be in meetings over the next few weeks, discussing how the curriculum will account for the interruption of studies and who will be filling the four professorships that as of now remain vacant.

_"I am very excited that the school will be open once more," said Headmistress Minerva McGonagall. "I have truly missed my students. We are free to begin our lives anew.We will begin with our children." (cont. on pgs 2, 3 and 4)_

_  
N.E.W.T and O.W.L. test schedule, page 5_

_Harry Potter: A Brief History of the Chosen One, page 7_

_Details of the Snape/Malfoy Trial, page 10_

_The Order of the Phoenix: The Brave Few, page 15_


	36. Chapter 36

_**A/N: Thanks for sticking with me this long. It'll be fluff from here on out, detailing how our heroes are livin' it up now that they don't have to worry about ol' Tom making a pest of himself…**_

**Chapter 36- Back to the Way Things Should Be**

_Every day you make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.- Winston Churchill_

Harry and Draco stood outside the testing room, waiting for their names to be called. The June heat permeated the thick castle walls, turning the hallways into slow roasting ovens. They both looked up at the sight of a very familiar black cloak billowing past the end of the hallway, alongside another black fluttering cloak. Draco grinned slyly at Harry, who smiled back, while the rest of the testers stiffened automatically. The classroom door opened to reveal an old wizard with a set of spectacles perched on the end of his very long nose.

"Malfoy, Draco and Potter, Harry," said the man, reading off of the list in his hand. The boys followed the old wizard into the room.

"Scared, Potter?" muttered Draco as they stood waiting for a free tester. Harry gave him a little shove.

"You wish," said Harry. He walked over to where an elderly witch was waving him over and began his DADA practical.

Severus and Samantha walked side-by-side down the hall towards the staircase to the seventh floor. Many of the portraits on the wall gave Severus wary looks, which were returned with slight sneers. Samantha grinned, taking his hand in hers.

"You know, Severus," said Samantha. "You look much better when you're not scowling at everything in sight." He turned to her, an eyebrow raised.

"I've worked very hard on this persona," said Severus haughtily. Samantha chuckled softly at him. "My job was to teach delicate potions procedures to unwilling children. You can hardly blame me for using whatever means necessary to keep them from blowing up my labs."

"Hmm," said Samantha noncommittally, grinning to herself. They stopped before the gargoyle protecting the headmistress's office. Samantha gave Severus with a questioning look. He shrugged his shoulders.

"Sugar Quills?" said Severus skeptically. The gargoyle leapt to life, revealing the spiraling staircase. Severus and Samantha stepped onto it quickly, riding it up to the huge wooden door. Samantha knocked softly.

"Come in," said McGonagall. She stood from her desk as they entered the room. Severus froze in the doorway, staring at the bare mahogany tables and tall bookcases lining the walls where once had been small tables covered in silver instruments.

"I told her to redecorate," said a voice over the desk. Severus looked up into the blue eyes of Albus Dumbledore's portrait. "She never liked my gadgets anyway." McGonagall rolled her eyes at the painting as she motioned for them to take a seat.

"It was more the clutter that I was opposed to," she said as she retook her seat behind the desk. She took a deep breath.

"I invited you both here to hear a proposal that has been in the works for about a month or so now," said McGonagall. She leaned forward, interlacing her fingers together on top of the desk. "I want you both to come and teach for me." Samantha's eyes widened.

"Wow," whispered Samantha. Severus looked at the wall, tapping his lips in thought.

"It would probably be chaotic for a while," continued McGonagall. "All of the children are one year behind in their material, unless their parents took it upon themselves to continue schooling them at home." She grinned slightly. "But as you well know, even those students will be at different levels. Sixth and Seventh year classes would be the most challenging, but the Board and I have been in discussions about a modified curriculum to catch those students up so that they have the option of testing at the end of next year."

"You haven't mentioned what subjects you want us to teach," said Severus softly, turning back to look at McGonagall. McGonagall sighed, leaning back in her chair.

"Well, we have four positions open," she said. "Never in my tenure have we had so many openings. We need someone for Charms, Potions and, of course, Defense, although we should be able to keep a person in that position for longer than a year. We also need someone for Transfiguration, since I won't be able to handle being Headmistress and teaching a full course load at the same time. Two of those positions will also need to carry the title of Head of House for both Gryffindor and Slytherin. If you know of anyone trustworthy, I would be glad to listen to any suggestions."

Severus smirked at her as he leaned over to Samantha, whispering in her ear. She whispered something back. He pulled back, giving her a sly grin, nodding slowly in agreement. Samantha's face broke out into a wide smile. She nodded and gave McGonagall a smug look as Severus leaned towards McGonagall.

"I think we'll be able to help solve your problem quite easily," said Severus. "Samantha would like the Charms position whereas I would rather have the Defense post rather than Potions."

And what about the other two positions?" said McGonagall in exasperation. "Severus, you could be reinstated as Head of Slytherin, but since Samantha was also in Slytherin, she cannot hold the title for Gryffindor." Severus gave McGonagall a sly smile.

"I don't want to be Head of House anymore," said Severus. "The students need a different kind of person as their Heads of House. We just happen to be familiar with two young gentlemen who would be of great assistance to you in that regard. I think they would be jump at the chance to become Heads of their respective Houses. Their N.E.W.T. scores should be more than adequate for the high standards of a Hogwarts professorship in Potions and Transfiguration. Of course, Samantha and I can provide _detailed_ references if you would like." He leaned back in his seat, placing the tips of his fingers together in front of him.

McGonagall was silent for a few minutes, gazing thoughtfully out of the window.

"Well," said McGonagall softly. "It would certainly help to have the positions filled in thinking about curriculum changes. However, they would be the youngest faculty members ever hired in the school's history. But no one would argue that they're not qualified." She nodded her head. "Yes, they'll do nicely. I would like to contact them both personally, so if you could keep this under your hats for the time being. I'll wait until after the wedding, as I'm sure they're busy with preparations." She gave Samantha and Severus a smile. "I don't think I've congratulated you both. I'm truly happy for you." She glanced quickly at her watch and sighed dejectedly. "I wish we could stay and chat, but I'm expecting Scrimgeour any minute."

"Then we will _definitely_ be going," said Severus as he stood immediately from his chair. He held out his hand to McGonagall, who took it as she stood up. "Thank you so much. You have no idea what it means to me to be coming back."

"You're one of the best teachers we've ever had, Severus," said McGonagall. "It would be a waste not to offer you a position." She shook Samantha's hand and ushered them towards the door.

"We'll see you in two weeks, right?" asked Samantha. "Saturday, the 30th at the Manor?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," said McGonagall as Severus and Samantha descended the staircase.

They walked down to the Great Hall, where a huge crowd of students was gathered around the open doors. Loud shouts and bangs could be heard form inside. Severus drew his wand, running towards the doors. The crowd parted for him immediately. He froze at the sight before him, Samantha skidding to a halt beside him.

Harry and Draco were firing high level spells at each other at blinding speeds. Harry jumped behind a desk, transfiguring it into a large wooden shield. Draco fired a spell, shattering the wood into a million pieces. Harry dropped what was left in his hand, quickly resuming his fierce spell casting, with Draco blocking every single one. Harry glanced over at Severus, who stood rigid with his arms crossed over his chest. He froze immediately, his face paling. Draco straightened in confusion, staring at Harry through his Shield charm. He followed Harry's gaze and started at Severus's stern face. He quickly canceled his charm.

"Do I need to even ask what is going on?" said Severus silkily. Both boys looked at each other in fear. Harry ran a hand through his hair.

"Some of the others wanted to see some spells that Elias and I did for extra credit on the Defense practical," said Harry in a small voice. "I guess we just got carried away."

"I'll say," said Samantha as she walked over to examine the deep scorch marks on the wall. "McGonagall's going to have both of your hides when she sees what you've done to the Great Hall. In fact," she conjured two buckets of water and scrub brushes," why don't the two of you clean this place up? Without magic, if you please."

"WHAT!" cried Harry and Draco.

"Come on, Mum," said Draco. "This place is huge! It'll take us all day!"

"Then you had better get started," smirked Severus. Draco scowled at him, grabbing a bucket from Sam as Harry took the other sullenly. They walked to opposite sides of the hall and began scrubbing the walls.

"Everyone out," said Samantha, herding the complaining students out of the hall. "Don't you kids have someplace to be? Like a test?"

"All of the tests are over for the day," said a tall boy. "The last ones are tomorrow."

"Well, then, off with you," said Severus sternly. "Go revise or whatever it is that you young people do to prepare for tests." When no one moved, Severus crossed his arms and spoke with a soft malice. "Unless you would like to join Potter and Malfoy in the Great Hall, I suggest you get moving. Now." The crowd scattered rapidly, cowering under Severus's stern face. Samantha smirked at him.

"Whatever means necessary, hm?" she said. Severus gave her a smug look.

"Exactly." He looked at his watch. "Let's go down and check the potion stores. I think we may have borrowed everything from the private stores. The boys will be busy for quite some time, I'm sure."

Samantha watched his robes billow out behind him as he turned towards the staircase to the dungeons.

* * *

The early afternoon of June 30th was beautifully sunny, with a cool breeze blowing through the many trees surrounding Malfoy Manor. The grounds were swarming with movement, as the last touches were added to the small seating area on the East Lawn and to the reception area underneath a large white tent. Draco stood at the window in an upstairs room, watching the house-elves carry platters of food into the tent and the guests taking their seats. Harry leaned back in his chair, balancing it on two legs and tossing a ball he had conjured against the wall. Remus and Arthur sat at a small table, playing cards and grinning at the nervous wreck of a man stalking up and down the length of the room.

"Severus, sit down," said Remus in exasperation. "The ceremony doesn't start for another twenty minutes. I swear you're the noisiest pacer I've ever encountered." The edge of Severus's black silk cloak snapped as he spun on his heel to change directions, completely ignoring Remus. Arthur chuckled.

"Leave him be," said Arthur. "He'll settle down once he's forced to stay still." Harry chuckled as he vanished the ball and got up, walking over to the window beside Draco. Suddenly, Harry jumped slightly. He patted his pockets before pulling out a small, round disk. The disk was flashing red and vibrating. Harry nudged Draco and walked quickly to the door. The three other men frowned at them in confusion.

"Don't mind us," said Draco cheerfully. "We've just detected an infestation of sorts. We'll be right back, I promise." He grinned at Severus and Remus's bewildered faces as he left the room. They looked to Arthur, who simply shrugged and shuffled the deck of cards.

"I'm sure whatever they're doing isn't life threatening," said Arthur. Remus looked to Severus with wide eyes as Arthur dealt a game of solitaire. They both rushed to the window, searching madly for the boys. Several tense minutes passed before the door opened and the boys walked back into the room, laughing.

"What did you do?" asked Severus warily. Harry sat back down in his chair as Draco closed the door and walked over to look at Arthur's cards.

"Well," said Harry. "As you requested, this little event was to be invitation-only. We took your words to heart, making sure that no one would slip in undetected."

"So," said Draco, pointing to a card on the table. Arthur smiled as he placed a card where Draco indicated. "If someone did show up who did not have an invitation, we made sure that we would know about it so we could escort them off the premises."

"Especially," said Harry. "If that person was a member of the press. This particular reporter happens to be an unregistered Animagus who tried to sneak her way in. But thankfully, Kingsley graciously volunteered to keep our little bug safe during the ceremony and reception. She will be dealt with afterwards if we get around to it." Draco smiled smugly at Harry. Remus frowned.

"Who –" he was interrupted by a soft knock on the door. Molly Weasley opened the door and poked her head into the room.

"Come on, it's time," she said. Severus ran to the mirror, running his hands quickly over his hair and straightening his green-trimmed robes.

"Dad, you look fine," said Harry as he went out the door. "Let's go." Severus sighed and gave Molly a small smile as he left the room. He caught up to Draco and Harry as they went down the grand staircase into the foyer. Draco led them down a darkened hallway towards the East Lawn. He opened a large set of glass doors that led out onto the grounds. Rachel and Ginny were waiting for them.

"Severus, you're to go on down in front," said Rachel as she put her arm through Draco's.

"Right," said Severus shakily. He didn't move. He stood frozen, staring at the small gathering of people facing a white archway where an elderly wizard was waiting. Draco rolled his eyes and muttered loudly to Rachel.

"He can face dozens of Death Eaters and the Dark Lord himself, but he can't even walk down the aisle of his own wedding." Rachel giggled as Draco winked at her. Severus glared at him. Taking a deep breath, Severus rolled his shoulders back and held his head high as he swept down to the front of the crowd, turning to face them. He smiled at McGonagall in the second row, who nodded her head at him. He stood next to the elderly wizard that had performed Bill and Fleur's wedding and scanned the rest of the crowd quickly.

A small orchestra was playing off to the side as Draco and Rachel came down the aisle. Harry and Ginny followed them, the boys' silver robes matching perfectly with the girls' navy dresses. The crowd stood as the orchestra began the wedding march. Severus felt his breath catch in his throat as he gazed down the aisle at his bride.

Samantha walked slowly down the aisle, clutching Remus's arm tightly to keep everyone from seeing her hands shake. He reached up and placed his hand over hers, patting it soothingly. Her white robes sparkled as the sunlight gave the bare skin of her shoulders a soft glow. The grass was cool beneath her bare feet, and the breeze blew softly through her long, curly hair.

She gazed in awe at the striking figure waiting for her. Severus's hair had been trimmed and pulled back, accentuating the sharp and elegant features of his face, which seemed to have lost the haggardness and drawn look that she had become accustomed to over the years. His black robes were well cut, molding to his body perfectly. She met his gaze, seeing more emotion in his eyes than she had ever seen before. She gave him a huge smile and saw him relax a little, returning the gesture.

She and Remus reached the end of the aisle. Samantha gave him a kiss as he took her hands and put them in Severus's. He smiled at Severus, who returned it and nodded. Remus sat next to Tonks as the elderly wizard began.

"We are gathered here today at the end of a long period of darkness," said the wizard, "to join these two people together in a new life. A life that for you, Severus and Samantha, was truly impossible before now. All of the trials and struggles you have endured, all of the pain and losses you have shared, have shaped you into the people you are today. Today, you embark on the beginning of another kind of journey, a journey that will require strength of mind and spirit, a journey that will be filled with good times and bad. Yet in all this, it is most importantly a journey you take together." He smiled benignly at them. "You will now pledge your vows to one another, in recognition of the seriousness of the commitment you are making."

"Do you, Severus Snape, take Samantha to be your lawfully wedded wife," asked the wizard. "To love and to cherish, for better or for worse, in sickness and health, for as long as you both shall live?" Severus smiled at Samantha.

"I do," said Severus. Samantha's eyes filled with tears as she smiled at him.

"And do you, Samantha McKinnon, take Severus to be your lawfully wedded husband," asked the wizard. "To love and to cherish, for better or for worse, in sickness and health, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," said Samantha. Severus squeezed her hands gently.

"May I have the rings, please?" said the wizard. Draco reached into his pocket, pulling out the companion ring to Samantha's engagement ring. Rachel handed her bouquet to Ginny as she pulled out the platinum band Samantha had chosen for Severus. They handed the rings to the wizard, who tapped them both with his wand. They glowed gold for a moment before he held them out to Severus and Samantha. Severus lifted Samantha's ring, taking her left hand and placing the ring at the end of her finger.

"Repeat after me, please," said the wizard. "With this ring, I thee wed."

"With this ring, I thee wed," said Severus softly, not breaking eye contact with Samantha as he slid the ring onto her finger. Samantha took Severus's ring and lifted his hand in hers.

"Repeat after me," said the wizard gently. "With this ring, I thee wed."

"With this ring, I thee wed," said Samantha. She slid the ring onto his finger, locking her fingers with his.

"By the power vested in my by the Ministry of Magic of Great Britain, it is my great honor to pronounce you husband and wife," said the wizard triumphantly. He turned to Severus. "You may now kiss the bride." Severus leaned down and pressed his lips to hers as Harry and Ginny waved their wands at the air above the crowd, showering tiny rose petals down from above them. The kiss continued, eliciting cat calls and whistles from the crowd. Draco cleared his throat loudly, smirking at the glare he got from Samantha as she pulled away from Severus.

"I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Severus Snape," said the wizard. The entire crowd erupted in thunderous applause and stood from their seats as Severus and Samantha walked back down the aisle towards the reception area. Harry, Ginny, Draco and Rachel followed them, leading the guests into the tent where the house-elves went to work escorting the guests to their seats.

The tent glowed with the soft light that the Weasley twins had helped Harry conjure the day before. Each table had six seats, each set with white porcelain plates trimmed in deep forest green and sparkling silver. A bottle of fine **champagne** sat chilling at each table. When all the guests were seated, the house-elves began serving the food. Tray after tray was brought out to each table, filled with many different kinds of food. Everyone ate to their heart's content, talking animatedly about everything from news about families to Quidditch teams bound for the British final.

As dinner came to a close, Draco stood and tapped the side of his glass with his knife. The chatter died down as everyone turned to look at him.

"Thank you all for coming," said Draco. "I hope you've all enjoyed dinner." He smiled at the murmured assents. He took his glass in his hand. "Well, as best man of this little soiree, it fell to me to make the toast." Severus smiled, putting his arm around Samantha.

"I've known Severus ever since I was little," said Draco. "He has _always_ been there for me. When times got tough, he was always there to bail me out. When I needed discipline, he was always there to get me back in line." Severus chuckled softly. "He's had a hard life. But," he turned to look at Samantha, "he found that one person to make it all worth it. I hope to one day be as happy as the two of you are. I wish you all the best, and love you both." He lifted his glass. "To Sam and Severus."

"Sam and Severus," echoed the crowd as they all drank the toast. Draco took a drink and sat back down. Harry leaned over to him.

"Good speech," said Harry. "Nice and short."

"Leaves more time for drinkin'" said Draco as he refilled his glass with Champaign. Harry grinned at him and joined him in drinking once again to the health of the bride and groom. Severus burst out laughing at them.

As the din of conversation began to rise, Severus turned and gazed in amazement at his beautiful wife. He brushed Samantha's cheek with his hand and leaned forward.

"I love you, Sam," he whispered in her ear. He leaned back and touched his forehead to hers.

"I love you too, Severus," said Samantha softly. Severus brushed a soft kiss on her lips, oblivious to the many eyes watching them with sly smiles and boyish grins.

The reception lasted into the late afternoon, with the guests mingling freely. The house-elves kept the platters of food full and the Champaign flowing. The orchestra was brought in and the tables pushed back as Harry conjured a dance floor in the middle of the tent. He gave Severus and Samantha a bow as they took the floor for the first dance. They glided across the floor effortlessly, as if they floated on air. They never noticed when the crowd, led by Harry and Ginny, joined them on the floor.

Finally, the guests began to trickle home as the sun began to set. The four kids helped Severus and Samantha escape mostly unnoticed, leading them around to the front gates of the Manor. Draco handed Samantha a pair of white ballet slippers.

"You'll need those," he said with a grin. He wrapped an arm around Rachel as Harry did the same to Ginny.

"Thank you all so much for everything," said Samantha. "We'll owl you while we're away." She gave each of them a hug, kissing both the boys on the cheek. "Take care of each other, alright?"

"We will, Mum," said Harry. "Now, go, before someone finds you and keeps you here for another hour." Samantha slipped on her shoes and grabbed Severus's arm. With a smooth motion, the two of them disapparated with a soft pop. They reappeared in front of a two-story house. A porch light cast a warm glow on the white paint. Samantha frowned slightly, looking at Severus's smug face.

"Where are we, Severus?" she asked, looking from him to the house. Severus walked up and opened the white gate in the fence.

"We're home," he said softly. He held his breath as what he said clicked in her head. She looked back up at the house with wide eyes as she walked towards him. She slowly walked up the path, gazing at the flowers that lined the sidewalk. Severus climbed the stairs in front of her to the front door, unlocking it and swinging it open. He lifted Samantha off her feet and carried her over the threshold.

"When did you do this?" asked Samantha, still in shock. "You were with me almost constantly for the past week!"

"Yes," said Severus as he set her down in the hallway and lit the candles on the wall as he shut and locked the door behind him. "But James and Elias were not. They helped me fix everything up before today. I just wanted you to see it before we left. We're on the side of Hogsmeade farthest away from the school." Samantha laughed as she wrapped her arms around Severus's neck.

"I love it!" she cried. She kissed him softly. He broke away reluctantly and walked down the hall, returning with two small suitcases. He handed one to Samantha, offering her his hand.

"Ready for a month in Spain, my dear?" he asked. Samantha nodded. He took her hand and they both disapparated.

_**A/N2: Gold star to you if you caught the CoS and the LOTR references...  
**_


	37. Chapter 37

_**A/N: The idea for this chapter came from a set of great stories that I can't find anymore on but one of them is on fictionalley, authored by Suzanna. It's a great Slytherin fic set in the MWPP era. So the creative muse was hers, not mine.**_

**_As for the boys being a little young to be Heads of House…hmm…possibly. They are indeed the same age as the Seventh years they will be teaching, but I feel that, while Harry and Draco are indeed very young, they are also very old for their age in a lot of ways. Severus wasn't much older than they are when he became a teacher and, presumably, Head of House…but it is a valid point. I just chose not to contend with it too much._**

**Chapter 35- The Life That was Stolen**

Letters from Hogwarts, received by Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, dated July 1, 1998:

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_  
I'm writing to ask if you are interested in taking the Transfiguration post here at Hogwarts. I received your N.E.W.T. scores, and I must admit I'm rather impressed. I am also offering you the title of Head of House for Gryffindor. Severus and Samantha have already consented to filling the Defense and Charms posts, respectively. I would be greatly honored if you would consider joining us on staff. Please send your response as soon as possible._

_  
Sincerely,  
Minerva McGonagall_

_Dear Mr. Malfoy,_

_  
I'm writing to invite you to join our staff here at Hogwarts as our resident Potions Master. Your skills were highly recommended and I would be honored if you would consider taking the job. Along with this, I would also like to offer you the title of Head of House for Slytherin. Please let me know of your decision as soon as possible._

_  
Sincerely,  
Minerva McGonagall_

_

* * *

_

From the Daily Prophet, dated July 16, 1998:

**Hogwarts to Reopen Its Doors at Full Capacity  
**

_In its decision released Monday, the Hogwarts Board of Governors announced new curriculum changes, to be implemented beginning this fall. All parents will receive owls containing information about changes and school supply lists._

_  
The four vacant professorships have also been filled, says Headmistress Minerva McGonagall._

_  
"Yes, we've found teachers to fill all of our openings. We will inform the parents in the school owls and announce them officially at the Welcoming Feast on September 1st…_

_

* * *

_

From the _Daily Prophet_, dated August 12, 1998:

**Shacklebolt Named Head Auror**

_Head of MLE Robert Dawlish announced today that Kingsley Shacklebolt, former Deputy Head Auror and member of the illustrious Order of the Phoenix, has been named Head Auror. Nymphadora Tonks, fellow Auror and member of the Order, has also been promoted to the position of Deputy Head Auror under Auror Shacklebolt…_

_

* * *

_

From the Daily Prophet, dated August 25, 1998:

**ORDERS OF MERLIN COMFIRMED ON WAR HEROES**

**Potter, Malfoy and Snapes Main Honorees**

_The Ministry of Magic hosted the largest confirming ceremony in history last weekend to honor those who fought in the last battle against Voldemort. Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy, and Severus and Samantha Snape sat as guests of honor, as all members of the Order of the Phoenix, a resistance group founded over thirty years ago by the late Albus Dumbledore, were honored for their contributions to the downfall of the Dark Lord. Dumbledore was also honored, as he was granted a posthumous Order of Merlin, First Class. Severus Snape accepted the award in his memory._

"_Albus never gave up," said Snape in his acceptance speech. "He continued to fight, using wizards and witches of all backgrounds and strengths. He gave many of us a focus and a purpose in amidst a sea of darkness and hopelessness. He didn't do it for the glory or for the recognition. He did it so that those of us sitting here may be free to live lives without fear. To live and to love – that is the greatest way to honor his memory."_

_All members of the Order, past and present, were awarded Orders of Merlin, First Class. For a full list of all honorees, please see page 4._

_

* * *

_

Letter from the Ministry of Magic, received by Draco Malfoy, dated November 14, 1998:

_Dear Mr. Malfoy-_

_  
We regret to inform you that Lucius Malfoy passed away the morning of November 13 while imprisoned in Azkaban prison. His will dictated that all of his worldly possessions are to be yours. The Ministry offers its sincerest condolences and will work with Gringott's to restore the vaults that were seized during his investigation to you as soon as possible._

_  
Sincerely,_

_  
Percy Weasley_

_Office of the Minister_

_P.S. Draco, I speak for the entire Weasley family in offering our condolences. Please let any of us know if you need anything._

_

* * *

_

From a copy of _Witch Weekly,_ dated November 30, 1998:

**WAR HEROES TO WED**

_Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy, heroes of the battle at Hogwarts, are officially off the market, ladies. Mr. Potter proposed to Ginevra Weasley, the only daughter of Phoenixers Arthur and Molly Weasley, while Mr. Malfoy proposed to Rachel Palmer, cousin to Samantha Snape. The wedding has been announced as a double wedding set for mid-July of next year…_

_

* * *

_

Patronus message, sent February 7, 1999:

_James-_

_  
Well, it's official. Pomfrey just confirmed it a while ago. Sam's pregnant. What in the world have I gotten myself into?_

_  
Dad_

_ P.S. Your fifth years were holy terrors today. I spent three hours cleaning scorch marks off my walls from badly aimed spells. I should make you grade all these blasted essays that are now piled on my desk since I wasn't able to grade them today._

_

* * *

_

Patronus response, sent February 7, 1999:

_Dad-_

_  
Congratulations! Have you told Elias and Rachel yet? Ginny will be so excited to be an 'auntie'. You're on your own with this, though. Pregnant women are way out of my area of expertise._

_  
James_

_ P.S. Their bad aim is not my fault, old man. And may I remind you that you are the one who assigns those blasted essays for them to write._

_

* * *

_

From the Daily Prophet, dated May 24, 1999:

**Snape Named Deputy Headmaster**

_In a surprise announcement Wednesday, Headmistress Minerva McGonagall named Severus Snape as her Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

_  
"Severus has been with us for the roughest twenty years the school has ever seen," said McGonagall. "He will be a very capable deputy and has more than earned the position."_

_  
Snape worked as a double agent during the war, masquerading as a Death Eater in order to obtain highly sensitive information. He is now in the employee of Hogwarts as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. He and his wife Samantha, who also teaches at Hogwarts, are expecting their first child in September of this year…_

_

* * *

_

Wedding invitation, received by Remus J. Lupin, June 1, 1999:

_Samantha & Severus Snape, Molly & Arthur Weasley, and Rick & Diana Palmer_

_cordially invite you to the weddings of their children_

_  
Ginevra Molly Weasley and Harry James Potter_

_  
and_

_  
Rachel Ophelia Palmer and Draco Elias Malfoy_

_  
on Saturday, July 15, 1999 at Malfoy Manor, Wiltshire._

_Please RSVP by June 17 if attending._

_

* * *

_

Party invitation, received by Draco Malfoy, dated August 20, 1999:

_Elias-_

_  
I wanted to invite you and Rachel over to the house on Saturday for a little get-together to welcome Sam and the baby home from the hospital. It'll start around 2. Elias, the baby is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. And I must say I did an excellent job in naming her. Rebekkah Adrienne Snape has such a commanding ring to it._

_I also wanted to run an idea past Rachel. Sam's going to take the fall off from teaching to be with Bekkah, so we were wondering if she'd be willing to take Sam's position for the fall term. I'll talk to her more about it at the party, but just let her know so she can be thinking about it. We may ask her and Ginny to babysit during the spring as well, but Sam and I are still talking about that._

_  
See you Saturday,  
Dad _


	38. Chapter 38

**_A/N: This is it, folks. Thanks for reading! A special thank you to Mark Darcy and Verity Brown for helping me with suggestions as I was writing this. Revisions to come after thanksgiving…and I'll add something about our favorite werewolf and his beloved…_**

**Chapter 38- Debello (Epilogue)**

_Children are the only form of immortality that we can be sure of.- Peter Ustinov_

It had been five years since that bright day in March when Harry, Draco and Severus defeated the man once known as Tom Riddle, forever immortalized as Lord Voldemort. The grass where his blood had been spilt was still charred black, evidence of the lengths to which Riddle went in order to gain everlasting life. The grounds were just as quiet as they had been on that morning as Samantha walked up the path from Hogsmeade, holding the hand of what looked to be her replica in miniature, except for the dark obsidian eyes that sparkled out from the child's face.

"Mummy, I'm hungry," said Rebekkah. Samantha sighed as she shifted the strap of the bag on her shoulder.

"Bekkah, you just ate a snack before we left the house, love," said Samantha. "We'll have lunch when Daddy gets out of his meeting with Headmistress McGonagall, alright?"

"Okay," said Rebekkah sullenly. The gravel crunched under her small feet as they ambled up the path. As they approached the front steps, the castle door swung open, revealing a tall man dressed in black teaching robes, his long, blond hair pulled back from his smiling face.

"Uncle Elias!" cried Rebekkah as she broke free from Samantha's hand and ran towards him as he descended the steps. He swept her up into his arms, twirling her around in the air.

"Hello ma petit ange," said Draco as he kissed Rebekkah's cheek. He perched her on his hip as Samantha caught up with them. Draco gave Samantha a kiss on the cheek as they walked inside the castle.

"Where's Rachel?" asked Samantha. "I wanted to give her Bekkah's things for tonight. I don't know when we'll be through with our meetings after the Feast, so I wanted to do it before I forgot."

"She's in our chambers napping for a bit," said Draco. "Is Dad still in his meeting?"

"I think so," said Samantha. "You and Rachel are welcome to eat with us whenever he gets through."

"Which would be now," said Severus as he came down the grand staircase. Rebekkah squirmed out of Draco's arms and ran over to Severus, who lifted her gently into his arms. He walked over and gave Samantha a kiss. "Sorry, Sam. The meeting went a little longer than I thought it would. Minister Dawlish wanted to talk about getting funding for a new Quidditch stadium."

"Why in the world would we need a new Quidditch stadium?" asked Samantha. Severus looked sternly at Draco, who began whistling distractedly.

"Apparently," said Severus, still glaring at Draco. "Some alumni of the school claim that the current stadium is _inadequate_ for the needs of today's young Quidditch player." Rebekkah looked from Draco to Severus and back again.

"Uh oh," said Rebekkah with a grin. "You're in trouble now, Uncle Elias." Samantha burst out laughing at Draco's frown. Severus chuckled as he kissed Rebekkah's forehead. Draco took Rebekkah's bag from Samantha.

"I'll just go get Rachel," said Draco. "I think we will join you guys for lunch since James and Ginny won't be here until this evening. Ginny refused to floo over here, so she and James are on the Express."

"Floo travel makes the morning sickness worse," said Samantha. "Poor Ginny is sick enough without spinning around in the network." Draco shrugged.

"It doesn't bother Rachel, so I can't really relate," said Draco with a grin. "We'll see you in a few minutes for lunch. I'm sure Rachel will be starving when I wake her up."

* * *

The Hogwarts Express pulled into the darkened station right on time. Billows of steam rolled onto the platform as the doors opened and the students poured out of the compartments. Hagrid stood waiting for them, swinging a large lantern in his hand. 

"Firs' years, this way," he bellowed. He paused beside the door of one compartment, holding his lantern above a dark-haired man helping a noticeably pregnant woman down the steps and onto the platform.

"Thanks, Hagrid," said Harry as Ginny reached the platform.

"Sure thin', Harry," said Hagrid as he continued down the platform, shouting for the first years to follow him. A large group of students gathered around Harry and Ginny, chattering at them excitedly as they all walked slowly towards the carriages.

"Professor Potter!" cried a tall boy in Slytherin robes, his silver prefect badge glinting in the station light as he made his way through the crowd. Harry turned as the boy reached where he was standing. "I just caught Dylan Godfrey with some Wheezes, sir. I know you're not his Head of House, but, um…" He held out a huge bag, full to the brim with Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Ginny chuckled to herself as Harry took it with wide eyes.

"Bloody hell," whispered Harry. Ginny hit his arm, frowning at him. Harry shied away from her glare, clearing his throat. "Thank you, Mr. Riley. I will make sure that Professor Sinistra is alerted to Mr. Godfrey's – ah – well, yes. I'll let her know. Thank you." The boy nodded and headed off in another direction. Harry looked down at the bag, shaking his head as he and Ginny continued walking.

"You know," he said thoughtfully. "I think there are a few new ones in here. Elias and I may have to test these to see what the effects are."

"Harry," said Ginny warningly. "You know how McGonagall feels about you and Draco 'researching' Fred and George's stuff. I don't think she was kidding when she said she'd give you both detention with her if she caught testing them again."

"Well, then how does she expect us to know when students are using them to get out of class, hm?" asked Harry, a satisfied look on his face. Ginny shook her head as Harry helped her into a carriage.

* * *

The Great Hall was riotous as the students finished eating their fill of the desserts on the table. The staff watched on silently in amusement, sitting in a food-induced daze. The only conversation at the High Table came from the left side of the Headmistress's chair. 

"The Cup is ours this year," said Harry vehemently, pointing a chocolate-covered fork at Draco. "Slytherin's got no chance. Your entire Chaser core graduated last year. McWilliams will have his hands full trying to hold tryouts for three new Chasers, plus a reserve player or two."

"Oh really?" said Draco. "What makes you so sure that Kirkfield will be successful in his recruiting? As I recall, the Gryffindor team is lacking a set of beaters at the moment."

"You'll see," said Harry. "Gryffindor will cream Slytherin in November." He took a drink of pumpkin juice as McGonagall stood up from her chair, tapping the edge of her glass. The Hall fell silent as they all focused their attention on her.

"Welcome to another year here at Hogwarts," she said happily. "I just have a few announcements. I would like to remind everyone that the Forbidden Forest is just that – forbidden. Any student caught within the boundaries of the Forest without proper permission will be severely reprimanded." She eyed a pair of twin boys at the Slytherin table.

"Also," she continued, "our caretaker, Mr. Filch, would like for me to remind everyone that _all_ items purchased from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes are banned from the grounds. If you are caught with these items in your possession, you will be serving detention with either Professor Potter or Professor Malfoy for as long as they deem necessary. I shouldn't have to remind you how well acquainted they are with each and every product from the Weasley brothers's shop nor the nature of said detentions." A few members of the Gryffindor and Slytherin tables went deathly pale at the mention of punishment with the professors, who were currently staring at select students around the hall.

"Quidditch tryouts will be held the third week of September," said McGonagall. "Your captains will place sign-up sheets in the commons rooms. Your Heads of House can arrange times for you to have the pitch reserved. And captains, please _try _to keep your Heads of House from participating. While I'm sure you all enjoyed seeing Professors Potter and Malfoy relive their days as Seekers, Madam Pomfrey doesn't want to see them in the hospital wing again." The Hall broke out in muffled laughter as Harry and Draco nudged each other none too subtly.

"And with that," said McGonagall with a smile. "Prefects, please lead the first-years to the dormitories. Sleep well. We'll see everyone tomorrow morning."


End file.
